Word Balloon Comics Podcast

Brad Meltzer, The Variant Cover Debate, & Cincy Comicon Podcast Panel

00:00-1:23:45 Our Cincy Comic Con coverage begins with 2 great panels loaded with candid conversation from creators who've struggled in the creator owned before hitting their goals. Some would say they're still struggling today after being in the biz for 30 years. First up The Fear Agent 10th anniversary panel with Rick Remender (Uncanny Avengers Captain America)  Tony Moore (The Walking Dead Punisher Ghost Rider) and Mike Hawthorne (Deadpool The Un-Men). Rick and Tony created the Fear Agent Heath Huston, space cowboy, interplanetary war vet, and killer of icky space creatures . The series was an homage to the 50's EC comics style of Sci-Fi, and the guys talk about the book's struggle over 32 issues and how it inspired many of their works that followed. 1:23:50-end of show More Creator owned advice from this excellent panel featuring Evan Dorkin (Milk & Cheese, DC Comics World's Funniest) Zine editor publisher Sarah Dyer (Action Girl) Kickstarter Master Ryan Browne (God Hates Astronauts- Blast Furnace) and amazing illustrator Jeremy Bastion (Arcadia's Cursed Pirate Girl) . This information they share is extremely helpful to any aspiring creators. It's one of the best panels I've had the pleasure of moderating.

Great conversations this week. First Val Delandro tells us about his comics art career . From drawing backgrounds in a Toronto Studio to Marvel gigs like his long collaboration with Peter David on the X-men book X-Factor. Today Val is co creator of Bitch Planet, the Sci-Fi Prison World Sports epic written by the red hot scribe Kelly Sue DeConnick . Then writer Heath Corson is back in studio to talk about his current run n the very funny Bizarro with dynamic art by Gustavo Duarte . Heath also talks about recent animated features that are on the market now, including the Tom & Jerry-Jonny Quest crossover SPY QUEST, and the latest Batman Unlimited & Arkham Asylum (the animated precursor to next year's SUICIDE SQUAD film) . Heath is also a great comics podcaster, and he talk about his show The Nerdist Writers Panel Comics Edition

What was scheduled to be a Summer Review of Powers 1st season, Comic Con Stories and a look at Brian's Secret Wars Tie-Ins, all got interrupted with what may be a Major Sea Change in the way Marvel makes moviesBig News broke this week that Marvel Film Honcho Kevin Feige has gained independence from Marvel's CEO Ike Perlmutter answering only to Disney CEO Alan Horn. A reported bi-product of this power shift was the apparent dissolution of The Marvel Creative Committee of Bendis, Marvel's Chief Creative Officer Joe Quesada and Publisher Dan Buckley. What does this mean for the future Marvel films ? Wasn't the inclusion of input from the comic book makers the difference in Full Fledged Marvel Films versus the failures like Fantastic Four, The Andrew Garfield Spider-Man Films, etc? During the first 35 minutes of this marathon edition of The Bendis Tapes, I ask Brian questions   regarding the news. Things like,  "How does it impact the future films ? How does his role at Mavrel change ? " . We also talk about new comics Bendis recommends, more Powers TV news and More. Then we present a talk we started to record last month featuring More Powers Behind the scenes talk including upcoming changes in the production of the series, including the inclusion of Comics and TV masterscribe Ben Edlund (The Tick, Buffy, Angel) on the writing staff. plus more talk about Brian's current and future books. It'll play like we're old and don't realize we were talking about these smae books an hour earlier, but the information is more detailed in this earlier conversation. Enjoy! 

Sanford Greene is back to talk about his current and future plans in comics and animation. We talk about his current Marvel Secret Wars series Runaways with Limberjanes co-creator Noelle Stevenson. We also look at the coming Marvel Hip Hop Variant Covers . Sanford has drawn 2 so far, and has more on the way in addition to his role brining more  creators to this project and others at Marvel. The conversation gets into the current debate about diversity at the big 2 publishers. Greene has thoughts and says the Hip Hop Varriant are just the beggining of changes at Marvel . These changes are already happening in the TV and film divisions and the comics as well.  We also look at Sanford's animation company Secret Sauce that has projects on the way comming to Netflix, and more. 

Judd Winick is back! We loved his superhero work for years at DC and Marvel (Batman: Under The Red Hood, Shazam, Exiles, The Outsiders, Green Lantern,) and running the alternate earth adventures of Marvel's Exiles, but it's been a long time since we've enjoyed the art and funny side of Winick's storytelling. The man behind Frumpy The Clown and Barry Ween has put himself back behind the drafting table to draw and write this hilarious action adventure that will delight children and thoroughly entertain their parents with intense comic book style action .  We talk about his feelings on this series compared to his superhero work, his work on The Hulu superhero parody The Awesomes created by Seth Meyers, and more . Then Sci-Fi writer Duane Burghard brng his own military background into his new novel Gopto combining real world practicality with an alien conspiracy. Duane was also an online talk show host in the early pre-podcast net era, and he shares memories of some famous interviews he got to do in the sci-fi world

Two interviews that look at the art/alternative comix scene. How is it playing out while the superhero books are seeing massive attention at Conventions and from Film and TV projects? First Dean Haspiel and Gregory Benton talk about their new books from Hang Dai studios. Haspiel is presenting his real life adventures moving to Brooklyn from Manhattan in Beef With Tomato. Benton has released an ambitious silent comic called Smoke. Hang Dai is also releasing Schmuck the graphic novel written by the late comics photo journalist Seth Kushner . The guys talk about Kushner's continued inspiration in the Hang Dai Studio, and how they plan to promote these books in the upcoming conventions and comic arts festivals. We also talk about Dean's love of superhero comics particularly the Fantastic Four amd Greg's current obsession with Jack Kirby's Fourth World.  Then Comics Reporter  Tom Spurgeon joins us for a talk about his blog The Comics Reporter, and new patreon campaign to fund his new monthly online magazine The Comics Report  . It's a chance to compare notes on the changes we've both seen in the comics market. Tom is also organizing a Columbus, Ohio Comics Arts Festival in conjunction with Ohio State University CXC Festival. 

First Reggie Hudlin joins us to discuss the return of Milestone Media. Hudlin promises new projects are on the way, as well as the return of Static Rocket Hardware and the Dakota World. We also talk about his films House Party, Boomerang and producing D'Jango Unchained with Quentin Tarantino.  Hudlin also wrote the D'Jango Vertigo comics adaptation (the series won an Eisner in 2014), plus Marvel runs of Black Panther and Spider-Man. Hudlin also produced the Marvel Knights Black Panther Animated series on BET where he also served as that network's president. Reggie gives us his POV on the current geek market, and a look back at the 70's style of heroes of color.   "I’m sorry to say that my day job has kept me away from hearing about the recent Marvel Hip Hop cover discussion and the questioning of Marvel's efforts to hire more creators of color until late last week. I’m also sorry to say I didn’t have the chance to talk about these issues dir

First, Joe Quesada the man who helped revive Marvel starting from 1998 with the creation of Marvel Knights to his long run as Editor in Chief to the present as chief creative officer. Joe oversees the comics, films TV and more and we talk about what's been happening on screen and in the pages of Marvel. From Netflix to the ABC shows to this years films and the comic event Secret Wars.  Then Jeremy Haun returns to talk about his Image Central series The Beauty, co-written with Jason Hurley debuting August 12th. It's a police procedural where cops are investigating a sexually transmitted disease that makes the victims more handsome of beautiful, before it kills them. How would today's world react to such an STD? Haun gives us a guided tour into the world of The Beauty. We wrap up with the filmmakers behind Cicada The Movie. Producer Actor Jeff Kent, Director

Rob Burnett is a film director resposible for the hilarious 1999 Star Trek Valentine Free Enterprise starring Eirk McCormack William Shatner and Rafer Weigel . Currently he's the directpor of Star Trek:Axanar the ground breaking independent Star Trek Film set 20 years before James T Kirk was Captain of the Enterprise. With a cast and crew of working hollywood professionals, who also love Star Trek They are in the midst of an indie go go fund rasing campaign to make this epic 2hr story.  As a proof of concept, they made this 21 minute pseudo-documentary, Prelude To Axanar which chronicles the characters and battles leading up to the film . Featuring Star Trek Stars Tony Todd, JG Hertzler and Gary Graham Battlestar Galactica stars Richard Hatch and Kate Vernon, and introducing Alec Peters as Garth Of Izar. The visual effects, score, writing, and acting will blow you away . Trek fans know Capt Garth was a hero of Kirk's and an eventual original series enemy. Axanar tells the story of his historic battle against the Klingons.

The head of Marvel Television comes back for a new in depth Loeb Report.  We get Jeph's observations on the Netflix shows Daredevil Jessica Jones and Luke Cage, plus a look back at ABC's Marvel Agents Of Shield, Agent Carter and what the future holds? Plus the 8 year wait is over as the Loeb-Tim Sale collaboration is on again with the long awaited tale of Captain America: White  Then Greg Pak is back to talk about the new Status Quo Of Superman in his work on Action Comics with Aaron Kruder, plus the low powered Clark Kent Meets the new Batman, Jim Gordon in Pak's  Batman-Superman with artist Ardian Syaf. We also get the  low down on Greg's new creator owned projects, a kickstarter campaign to fund a very funny kids book ABC Disgusting with Takeshi Miyazawa , an exciting new western with a supernatural twist called Kingsway West from Dark Horse Comics, and there's going to be a new green goliath for Marvel comics courtesy of Greg and Frank Cho, who can this new Totally Awesome Hulk be? 

First Up Ales Kot returns to talk about his creator owned projects Wolf, reuniting with Zero collaborator Matt Taylor. We also discuss Material both from Image Comics. Kot also talks about Bucky Barnes The Winter Soldier, and why he's wrapping up his big 2 work to concentrate on creatot owned books. Then Comics Historian Arlen Schumer profiles the unheralded work of Ira Schnapp DC letterer and the man responsible for the classic logos of The Flash Justice League Green Lantern and scores of other silver age comic series. Schnap's art is on display at The Type Directors Club of NY Schnapp event page: https://www.tdc.org/event/the-super-type-of-ira-schnapp/

This year at Comic Con, I had the pleasure of moderating these 2 informative panels about the comic book and geek marketplaces, the changiong demographics and ways content creators manufacturuers and cartoonists are changing the ways they do business. (7:41) First the 10th Annual Comic Book Podcaster Panel featured writer Greg Pak, who talked about how podcasts have evolved in helping him promote his works, along with podcasters John and Kay Mayo of Comic Book Page, and Publshers Weekly analyst/podcast host Calvin Reid. (1:34:39) We wrap up with The Future Of Fandom Panel created by Author Rob Salkowitz (Comic Con and The Business Of Pop Culture) and featuring Heidi Mac Donald (Publisher of The Beat) and Brett Schenker of Graphic Policy, who's been breaking down facebook analytics to determine the demographics and buying habits of men and women who consider themselves geek fans.

We talk about Kieron's Kickstarter Campaign for West Portal. a crazy sci-fi take when a real world guy slips into alternate realities that look like pop culture tropes. From Space Opera to Kitty Manga to Jack T Chick end of the world propaganda comics, Dwyer sttrecthes his art styles in inventives ways.  We also talk about his runs on Captain America, and Action Comics, plus past creator owned work with Rick Remender and Matt Fraction 

Tony Moore Previews Cincy Comicon & Bleeding Cool's EIC Hannah Means Shannon