Word Balloon Comics Podcast

Today on Word Balloon, we're catching up with one of comics' most distinctive visual storytellers, Rod Reis.Rod is taking on a huge creative challenge with DC's new Elseworlds Supergirl series, serving as the complete artistic force behind the book. Writing the visual language, designing the worlds, drawing, painting, and bringing every page to life. The series imagines a dramatically different destiny for Krypton's last children. In this reality, Kara Zor-El and baby Kal-El share the same escape rocket from Krypton, launching them into a sprawling science-fiction adventure that takes the Superman mythology into entirely new territory.One of the most striking aspects of the book is Rod's reimagining of Krypton itself. From the architecture and technology to the appearance and culture of its people, he's creating a version of the doomed world unlike anything we've seen before.We'll also look back at Rod's acclaimed work on New Mutants and the X-Men line, where his painted style brought a dreamlike and often unsettling atmosphere to the mutant corner of the Marvel Universe. And we'll talk about his remarkable career journey. From breaking into American comics as a colorist, collaborating with some of the industry's top artists, to evolving into one of comics' most accomplished full-spectrum creators whose work is instantly recognizable on sight.

Today on Word Balloon, we're talking with one of comics' most versatile storytellers, Tony Fleecs.Tony first grabbed readers' attention with his creator-owned work, helping redefine horror comics with the Image hit Stray Dogs, the chilling tale that mixed Disney-style visuals with a dark serial killer story. He followed that with Feral, another unsettling animal-centered horror series that's been turning heads and proving he has a real talent for finding fresh angles in the genre.But Tony's talents go well beyond creator-owned comics. He's also brought his storytelling skills to some of the biggest characters in comics, including a current run writing Deathstroke for DC Comics, tackling one of the publisher's most dangerous and morally complex antiheroes.

Leo DaVinci is a YA adventure romp with a little dose of history as Hamilton depicts the great artist and inventor as a teen prodigy entering Florence and iscovering goverment conspiracies and action adventure.

Hilary and Chris Barnard join us to talk about recent 3-D projects , but no glasses needed to enjoy this convesation, where we cover the history of 3-D comcs and film.They adapted the 3-d film Robot Monster for a new German pblication, Chris also worked on the restoration of a 1950s Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis film,"Money from Home" coming soon on BluRay from Kino Lober.We also talk about Hilary's Doctor Droom versus the1950s  Marvel/Atlas Monsters story for the recent Marvel miniseries . Droom was the original template  for Doctor Strange, and in the mdern era they changed him to Doctor Druid. Plus Barta's take on a Weird Al Yankovic song, in comic  book form.

Chris revisits The Civil War era with a new 5 issue mini series Civil War Unmasked. It features untold stories form that era. We also talk about Chris's work in the original mini series, plu Union Jack, Batlleworld, Avengers Academy , and his love for Hank Pym.We also talk about the new Spider Noir series from Amazon, and Chris's work on the Netflix Daredevil TV series.

Jeremy Adams Aquaman is the most exciting version of the character in many years. He's taking big comedic swings with Hal Jordan and Kyle Rayner in Green Lantern. Both books have tremendous supporting players as sickkicks and vilians. We also get into the animated adaptation of Batman Knightfall which introduced Bane and Azreal in the early 90s for a signinficant chapter of the Bat Mythos. . Adams is writing the first film, and the flick gets it's premire next month at an animation festival in France.

Howard Chaykin is back for a casual chat that includes detais of his Zorro run at Dynamite with Jorge Fornes,but mostly we go through obsevations on his brief stint at Atlas Seaboard creating The Scorpion, then going to Marvel with Dominick Forutne. plus toughts on film tv and books .You'll also hear some shocking accounts of his time at National Lampoon Magazine. Strong Language advisory

From Feb, Barth talks about  Babs from Ahoy Comics, his savage sword-and-sorcery riff that weaponizes absurdity, blood, and pitch-black humor to skewer genre clichés while still delivering the kind of brutal action Ennis fans crave. It’s funny, ferocious, and very deliberately unserious, until it suddenly isn’t.From there, we shift gears into war stories, both old and new. Ennis talks about his long-running love affair with Johnny Red, the WWI and WWII aerial combat hero he’s revived through graphic novels with a historian’s respect and a storyteller’s bite. We also break down Battle Action, the modern revival of the classic British war anthology, and why those stripped-down, morally thorny combat tales still matter.Finally, Garth looks ahead to what’s coming next, teasing new projects and directions slated for 2026, proof that he’s nowhere near done challenging readers, genres, or expectations.

Garth discusses his comics Tankies originally published by Battle in The UK, and by Dead Reckoning in the US

In this Terrficon Panel Garth Joe Ryband and I discuss the Boys comics and at the time the wrap up to season 3

The first of two interviews with Garth about The Boys. In psrt one from October 2020 Dynamite Editor Joe Ryband interviews Garth during the covid era. They also discuss Garth's Graphic novel Sara from TKO.

In 2020, playwrights Crystal Skillman and Fred Van Lente joined me to talk about transforming their acclaimed stage play King Kirby into an ambitious audio drama. The original play explored the life, imagination, and complicated legacy of comics legend Jack Kirby — from the birth of the Marvel Universe to the battles over credit, ownership, and artistic identity that followed him throughout his career.In this conversation, Crystal and Fred discuss the challenge of adapting such a visually explosive story into a purely audio experience. They break down how sound design, voice performance, and narrative structure became tools to recreate Kirby’s cosmic imagination for listeners, while still grounding the story in the emotional realities of Jack’s life, his partnership and conflicts with Stan Lee, and the larger history of the comics industry. We also get into the timing of the project during the pandemic-era rise of audio storytelling, why Kirby’s struggles over creator rights remain relevant today, and how the medium of audio drama unexpectedly mirrored the intimacy and imagination of old-time radio adventures that inspired Kirby himself. It’s a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at honoring one of comics’ greatest visionaries while reinventing his story for a new audience.Here's a link to the series https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/king-kirby/id1543433086

From 2024 Chicago Playwright Mark Pracht, and his actors who playedd Stan Lee and Jack Kirby discuss his play The House Of Ideas.

Today on Word Balloon, comics legends Larry Lieber and Danny Fingeroth join us for a fun and imaginative conversation about Larry’s new prose novel Chirps. The story centers on Chirps, a mutant budgie who can think and speak like a human being. Alongside his billionaire industrialist friend, Chirps finds himself pursued by dangerous forces determined to capture him and exploit the secrets behind his extraordinary intelligence. The novel blends science fiction adventure, humor, and old-school pulp storytelling in a way that feels very true to Larry’s classic comic book roots.And what roots they are. Larry was one of the foundational writers of the early Marvel Universe, scripting the very first adventures of Iron Man, Thor, and Ant-Man. He also wrote countless giant monster stories during Marvel’s pre-superhero era, including the first appearance of Groot, and chronicled dozens of western adventures starring Rawhide Kid. Larry talks about creating the world and personality of Chirps, writing prose instead of comics, and building suspense around a tiny feathered hero caught between powerful allies and ruthless enemies.Danny Fingeroth helps provide additional context throughout the conversation, including stories about working under Larry during their time together in the Marvel UK office and firsthand observations of Larry’s quiet but enormously influential role in Marvel history. Along the way, the conversation naturally drifts into comics history, Marvel memories, editorial war stories, and Larry’s remarkable body of work as one of the key creative figures from the early Marvel era.

Today on Word Balloon, we welcome educator, writer, and pop culture historian Stanford Carpenter to talk about this year’s Comicpalooza happening Memorial Day weekend in Houston.Stanford gives us a preview of some of the convention’s standout programming, including an exciting panel on the history and cultural impact of Blaxploitation cinema featuring acclaimed writer David F. Walker and legendary film icon Pam Grier. From films like Coffy and Foxy Brown to the influence those movies still have on comics, action films, music, and modern genre storytelling, the discussion promises to be one of the weekend’s highlights.We also talk about Comicpalooza’s growing reputation as one of the country’s most eclectic fan conventions, blending comics, film, television, gaming, and academic pop culture discussion into one massive event. Stanford shares what makes the show unique and why these kinds of historical and cultural conversations matter just as much as the celebrity appearances and entertainment news.

Playwright and Director Josh Camberlin has created a new play exploring the partnership of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby playing this June at the Fringe Festival in Los Angeles. We talk about their iconic collaboration, and the behind the scenes conflict, over the decadesThis episode includes AI-generated content.

Ceasar and I star in this little playlet about a safe heist gone wrong.

Back in 2016, Word Balloon welcomed the late great satirist and comedy legend Tony Hendra for a fascinating conversation that covered everything from modern political comedy to the birth of some of the most influential comedy institutions of the last fifty years.Tony joined us to promote the comedy album Are There Any Triggers Out There?, but the discussion quickly became a remarkable tour through his own comedy history. Hendra was one of the founding creative voices behind National Lampoon and The National Lampoon Radio Hour, which became the first national sketch comedy showcase for performers like Gilda Radner, Christopher Guest, John Belushi, Bill Murray, and many other future comedy giants before their rise on Saturday Night Live and beyond.Tony also co-wrote National Lampoon's Lemmings, the legendary off-Broadway stage parody of Woodstock and youth culture that became a launching pad for many of the same performers and helped define the aggressive, counterculture edge of 1970s American comedy. We also talked about Tony’s years at Cambridge Footlights, where he performed sketch comedy alongside future Monty Python members John Cleese and Graham Chapman during a revolutionary era for British comedy.And of course, fans know Tony best on screen as the hilariously exasperated Ian Faith, manager of This Is Spinal Tap, delivering some of the film’s most quotable moments while trying to hold together the world’s most disastrous rock band.It’s a funny, insightful conversation with one of comedy’s sharpest and most influential voices

Welcome to another Word Balloon League Bendis Discord Book Club conversation, as Brian Michael Bendis and I gather with our dedicated Word Balloon listeners and Discord members for a live Zoom chat all about Absolute Martian Manhunter, written by Deniz Camp with stunning artwork by Javier Rodríguez.It’s a real back-and-forth with passionate readers digging into the themes, storytelling, artwork, and big ideas behind the series. This time, the spotlight is on one of DC’s boldest new reinterpretations of Martian Manhunter, with Camp and Rodríguez delivering a visually inventive and psychologically layered take on the character.Brian also shares his perspective as both a longtime creator and fan, while our League members bring sharp observations, theories, and reactions from the latest issues. It’s funny, smart, nerdy, and exactly the kind of comics conversation Word Balloon was built for.

Artist Mike Perkins returns to Word Balloon to talk about The Bat-Man: Second Knight, now available in graphic novel format. Mike breaks down the visual approach behind this 2nd series set in 1939, collaborating with writer Dan Jurgens, and the challenge of capturing a dark pulp-era Gotham through his detailed painted style. We also discuss Mike’s artistic process, from layouts and reference work to balancing mood, storytelling, and page design.Plus, Mike gives a preview of his upcoming new Vertigo project with Ram V. The conversation also dives into Mike’s lifelong love of Marvel UK, and 2000 AD, growing up on British comics, and what it meant to finally draw Judge Dredd in collaboration with legendary creator John Wagner.

Today on Word Balloon, we welcome writer Steve Darnall to talk about his new prose adaptation of Marvels, the landmark series created by Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross that redefined how readers looked at the Marvel Universe. The new novel with new cover and illustrations by Alex  is out in the next 2 weeks from Abrahms. Steve has a long history with Alex Ross, including their acclaimed collaboration on DC's Uncle Sam, and he also played an important role in the original Marvels project itself, co-writing the Marvels #0 story that explored the origin of Human Torch, the Golden Age android hero Jim Hammond. We talk about translating Ross’s iconic painted imagery and Busiek’s emotional storytelling into prose form, revisiting the history of the Marvel Universe through the eyes of ordinary people, and what it was like working alongside Ross during the formative years of some of his most celebrated projects. It’s a great conversation about comics history, superhero mythology, and the lasting influence of Marvels.

It's a very special Scene Missing as Actress and stunt performer Tatiana Neva joins Word Balloon to talk about her new espionage thriller Prey Of Wrath, now streaming free on XUMO, alongside martial arts legend Cynthia Rothrock.Neva discusses the physical and emotional challenges of making the indie action thriller, balancing fight choreography with character work, and what it takes to bring intensity to a modern spy story on a tight schedule. We also talk about her wide-ranging career in television and genre entertainment, including appearances on The Mindy Project and her many turns portraying comic book characters like Catwoman, Domino, and Black Widow in various film projects. It’s a fun conversation about action filmmaking, stunt work, superhero fandom, and building a career across indie film and pop culture entertainment.

To celebrate the milestone, I asked my computer to whip up questions for us , in some of the categories I love, comics start trek, spy tv shows, and 40's mystery films. This is like when Gary Kasperov played Deep Blue in chess. I'm happy to say our AI orverlords still don't get everything right. Thanks for all the support all this time since may 10th, 2005.

Jackson L Star Trek Comnzing and Colin Kelly, the Hivemind writer team is back to chek in mid-story on ths epic IDW Tek Comic, that takes place 100 years before Discovery jumped to the future. How did Starfleet try to solve the problem> Could ressurected Jim Kirk save the day?In addition, we  discuss their epic Captain America Sentinel Of Liberty 18 issue sage with Marvel, and a lot more.

In our first talk from 2007 Dave talks about beaking into comics, writing The Unknown Soldier, Runs on Superman and Spider-Man. The Iron Man "Demon In A Bottle" saga, and of course The creation of Venom

It's David Lloyd's Birthday week, bor on ay 5th . Grab some tomato juice and aspirin, and enjoy this 2019 chatIn case you haven't noticed, David Lloyd isn't drawing comic books any more. He's still very much involved in the medium creating the digital comic anthology Aces Weekly, a weekly digital only comic featuring serialized stories in genres from humor to crime adventure and sci-fi. David's current creativity is pointed at publishing this digital only comic. He's stopped drawing to concentrate on this effort. He talks about his view on the current comics market and looks back at V For Vendetta, his war comics with Garth Ennis and his crime graphic novel Kickback

Welcome to a brand new Fortress of Word Balloon, where the mic gets handed over to the League of Word Balloon Listeners, straight from patreon.com/wordballoon.Coming to you from my secret headquarters, and this one’s a freewheeling hang with the smartest fans in comics as we bounce from comics to TV to film, hitting everything we love . And along the way, I dig into the Word Balloon vault to share some behind-the-scenes stories from the last 20 years, the guests, the moments, and the surprises that helped shape the show.

Scott Larson, the creator of the supernatural commic Visitations talks about his mentor Len Strazewski, co-creator of Jesse Quick for DC, Prime for Malibu and so much more.Len also did 17 ssiues of The Fly for Impact Comics, and wrote 10 issues of Jstice Society in 1992

On this episode, we go back to 2009 for a great conversation with Gerry Conway, a writer whose career has taken some fascinating turns across comics and television. We talk about why Gerry stepped away from a successful run in TV, writing shows like Law & Order and Diagnosis: Murder, to return to DC Comics for a surprising and, frankly, underappreciated project, The Last Days of Animal Man.That decision ends up sparking what you could call a full third act comeback in comics, leading him back into the Marvel universe and onto Spider-Man once again.Along the way, we dig into some of Gerry’s most iconic work, from the still controversial and era defining “death of Gwen Stacy” in The Amazing Spider-Man to the massive, history making 1976 Superman vs. The Amazing Spider-Man treasury edition.

The 2020 One On One chat between Gerry Conway and Brian Michael Bendis I arranged this chat between the guys the wrote their share of Spider-Man Superman, Avengers and Justice League stories.

from 202o. during covid gerry abd I talked about where the punisher fits in the post Black Lives Matter era, his DC and Marvel yeras, and adventures in TV and film writing.

From 2013. A great talk spanning the scope of Gerry's Career.

On this episode, I sit down with Drew Friedman for a deep dive into the wild, rebellious world of the underground comix movement of the 1960s and 70s. It's all covered in his Fantagraphics book Maverix and Lunatix: Icons of Underground ComixWe talk about the artists who broke all the rules Figures like R. Crumb, Vaughn Bode, and Trina Robbins , and how their raw, unfiltered storytelling reshaped comics into something far more personal, political, and subversive. Drew shares firsthand insights into that era’s lasting influence and how it informed his own unmistakable style.From his early collaborations with his brother Josh Alan Friedman to his breakout work in publications like RAW and National Lampoon, we track the evolution of his career and the obsessive detail behind his signature caricatures. We also get into his celebrated portrait work, including books like Old Jewish Comedians and his tributes to pop culture legends, where Drew blends satire, reverence, and razor-sharp draftsmanship. It’s a conversation about craft, counterculture, and the artists who refused to play it safe, and in the process, changed comics forever.

On this episode of Scene Missing, we head into shadowy postwar London for a stylish and strange detour in the career of Douglas Sirk. Before the lush Technicolor melodramas of the 1950s, Sirk took a crack at noir with the 1947 thriller Lured. A serial killer mystery wrapped in elegance, obsession, and just a touch of dark humor. Starring Lucille Ball in a rare dramatic role, the film follows a woman drawn into a dangerous undercover game as bait for a killer targeting lonely hearts. Along the way, she crosses paths with a gallery of suspects played by the likes of George Sanders and Boris Karloff, each bringing their own eerie flavor to the mystery.Joining me for the conversation is Washington D.C. comedian Lady Vee, and we dig into what makes Lured such an odd and fascinating hybrid. Is this a straight noir, or something more playful and subversive? How does Sirk’s later thematic obsession with performance and identity show up here? And where does this sit in the evolution of Lucille Ball before I Love Lucy changed everything?

We talk about The re-release of Avengers Endgame with new doomsday related scenes, and other TV anf film talk.

all the guys are back to talk cartoons tv and film

Greg talks about the dangers of Canon,and promots the return of his series The Forged with Eric Trautman. Plus updates on Lazarus, Black Magic Attikus Kodiak and more.

Greg gets i depth about returning to the world of Kate Kane.

It’s time for another voyage of E-Motion Sickness: A Love Boat Re-Watch, and this one’s got everything you want out of classic late-70s TV chaos. Joining John and Franco this trip is artist and pop culture lifer Andy Price, ready to break down Episode 3. An hour packed with crushes, awkward reunions, and Julie getting absolutely zero help from the romance gods.You’ve got Kristy McNichol going all-in on Scott Baio like it’s teen magazine fan fiction come to life, while exes Robert Reed and Loretta Swit collide on deck with their new significant others… because nothing says “relaxing cruise” like unresolved baggage in formal wear.And poor Julie? She just can’t buy a win. Every time she thinks she’s got a promising passenger date, the universe steps in and says, “Not on this boat.”

In part 2 Brian answers uestions from the chat and we announce the dates and books for the next book club episodes for April and May.Next Tuesday night we'll record our book club observations of Absolute Martian Manhunter from Deniz Camp. You'll hear aout our favorite recent tv podcast and film recommendations, and Brian look back in detail on writing Marvel's Secret Invasion comic event.

In part 1 of The Bendis Tapes, we’ve got a double shot of Brian Michael Bendis that hits both his past and his next big moves. First up, Powers is back with issue 8 from Dark Horse Comics, dropping Wednesday. And here’s the kicker. Powers isn’t just living on the page. It’s back in development, this time as an animated series at Netflix. That format might finally be the right fit to capture the scale and grit of Bendis and Oeming’s world without compromise.At the same time, Bendis is crossing universes again. Also out Wednesday is the Marvel and DC crossover Spider-Man Superman, featuring a brand new story from Bendis and Sara Pichelli, where Miles Morales meets Superman.

Today on Word Balloon, I’m talking with a guy who’s built a career jumping between crime, history, and deeply human storytelling, Ande Parks. You know him from powerful graphic novels like Union Station and Capote in Kansas, and from his work across comics and film, where he always finds a way to ground big ideas in real emotion. Now he’s back with something new, and it’s a sharp turn into darker territory. We’re talking about Bad Thoughts, his latest project from Ignition Press.It’s a military espionage story on the surface, but underneath there’s something far stranger and more unsettling at work. This isn’t just about missions and secrets. It’s about what happens when the battlefield starts bending reality itself. And visually, the book hits just as hard. It’s brought to life by Dave Wachter, whose gritty, atmospheric style perfectly matches the tension and psychological edge of the story.

From the streets to the sketchbooks, this conversation dives deep into Only in New York, the upcoming graphic anthology from my guests Dean Haspiel, Doug Latino, and Eli Schwab. Arriving Fall 2026 from Cosmic Lion Productions and Real Life Comix, this 216 page hardcover delivers 50 short stories capturing the grit, absurdity, heartbreak, and humor of life in New York City. There kickstarter cmpaign is now active. If you enjoy the old McSweeny anthologies this book is for you.

From Comixology, a new hilarious graphic novel about a Doctor who gives therapy to all sorts of monsters and deamons.

Scene Missing returns with co-host Gabriel Hardman for a deep dive into the ink-stained world of filmmaker Samuel Fuller and his hard-edged newspaper stories. From the crusading idealism of Power of the Press to the scrappy, street-level ambition of Park Row, and the tabloid-fueled moral collapse at the heart of Scandal Sheet, we trace how Fuller’s real-life reporting experience shaped his cinematic voice.We get into the recurring themes that define these films: truth versus profit, the cost of ambition, and the thin line between journalist and opportunist. Hardman brings a filmmaker’s eye to Fuller’s visual storytelling, while we connect the dots between these movies and the larger legacy of newspaper noir. It’s a conversation about headlines, headlines makers, and the messy human stories behind both.