The Corner Box

John & David get together to celebrate the season of giving THANKS by discussing the comics that they’re thankful for! Then, keeping with the spirit, they discuss some comic book TURKEYS that weren’t quite what they should’ve been. Along the way, the guys talk about how to monetize a comics podcast, the Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul fight, and the importance of access to comics. Also, John has an in...

Episode Summary On this episode of The Corner Box, hosts Ultimate John Barber and Absolute David Hedgecock return for the much-anticipated sequel to The Corner Box vs Marvel and DC’s Ultimate and Absolute comic lines, to talk about the logic of the Multiverses, the visual art experiences, the backstories to the new stories, how the world has changed, and how the new lines could fall apart, and Dav...

Episode Summary On this episode of The Corner Box, hosts Ultimate John Barber and Absolute David Hedgecock get into the Ultimate and Absolute comic lines at DC and Marvel, the differences between Marvel and DC characters, how the new launches compare to the originals, and what does and doesn’t work in each new line, and John says something interesting. Timestamp Segments [00:46] The Big Two’s new...

Episode Summary On this episode of The Corner Box, hosts John Barber and David Hedgecock talk about the genius of Dav Pilkey, life lessons from Captain Underpants, the true main character in Dog Man, the limitless possibilities of comics, and the promising future of comic book readers, and John gets a puppy, and David goes down an Avengers rabbit hole. Timestamp Segments [00:35] Everything that ha...

You got your JLA in my Avengers! John & David regroup to talk about David’s adventures into the Avengers, the true difficulty of comic book collecting, Marvel’s legacy numbering solution, and how you too could own Mark Gruenwald’s ashes. Also, joy-of-joys! The podcast gets a new listener, John renumbers all future episodes, and David makes a shocking confession. Timestamp Segments [01:11] A ne...

Boldy going where no one dares to go! Eisner Nominated Dave Baker joins regular host David Hedgecock to talk about his essay on John Byrne’s Star Trek: New Visions, the launch of The Comics Courier, the phenomenon of Noble Failures, theories about why this work exists, and the exciting prospect of a Star Trek: New Visions Season 2. Timestamp Segments [01:45] Dave’s research for today’s episode. [0...

More spooky goodness! John & David return for Part 2 of the Halloween Special! The guys talk about more of their favorite spooky comics, how to create a jump scare in a comic book, the perfect artist/writer balance, and the problematic trajectory of superheroes. Also, David has beef with Eisner Nominated Dave Baker. Timestamp Segments [00:45] John’s spooky pick: When I Arrived At The Castle. [...

Get into the Halloween Spirit! On this episode of The Corner Box, hosts John Barber and David Hedgecock talk about some of their favorite spooky comics, the advantage of public domain, how Japan has stayed ahead of the graphic storytelling curve, and the many eras of Malibu comics. Also, David scratches an itch, and John dreams of teeth. Stay tuned for Part 2 of The Corner Box Halloween Special. T...

On this episode of The Ultimate/Absolute/New Adventures of The Corner Box, Chase Marotz joins hosts John Barber and David Hedgecock to talk about books that have caught their attention, some tragic news in comics, the true quality of improv, IDW’s venture into whiskey, and the mark of a good comic. Also, David gets written out of Corner Box continuity, Chase has to follow too many rules, and John...

NEW NUMBER ONE! On this episode of The Corner Box, host John Barber is joined by Eisner-nominee, Dave Baker, and Editor-Extraordinaire, Chase Marotz, to kick off SEASON 2! The gang talks about all things Batman: Knightfall, Bane’s misunderstood character, Bruce Wayne’s broken back, when different characters try being Batman, and how Batman comics have evolved since the 90s. Also, David Hedgecock g...

Episode Summary In today’s episode of The Corner Box, hosts John Barber and David Hedgecock talk about the exciting future of the podcast, big announcements from all around the industry, and the aftermath of San Diego Comic Con, and John holds off on seeing new movies, David nearly sets a new record, and Keanu Reeves earns exclusive access to Comic Con. Timestamp Segments [01:04] David has a solut...

Episode Summary In today’s episode of The Corner Box, Jeremy Whitley joins hosts David Hedgecock and John Barber to talk about Jeremy’s journey from Blockbuster to Marvel, the elusive 10th volume of Princeless, Jeremy’s prolific pandemic output, and the new "Navigating With You" graphic novel. Also, John has a superpower, and David makes a promise. Timestamp Segments [03:26] Jeremy’s gat...

Episode Summary On this episode of The Corner Box, Alex Segura joins hosts John Barber and David Hedgecock to talk about breaking into the comics industry, the world of Legendary Lynx, getting to work on Dick Tracy comics, exploring the Spider-verse, trying to make it on social media, and Alex’s exciting November releases, and David is unimpressed by puns. Timestamp Segments [01:16] Alex’s origin...

Episode Summary On this episode of The Corner Box, Denton J. Tipton joins hosts John Barber and David Hedgecock to talk about Denton’s early introduction to reading comics, the best and worst times for product launches, moving to San Diego, Magma Comix’s fast growth, and exciting upcoming Magma titles. Also, Tom Waltz gets a promotion, David launches a new project, and John has a special bond. Tim...

Episode Summary On this episode of The Corner Box, Kirt Burdick returns to join hosts John Barber and David Hedgecock to talk about the new Death of Power issue, how issue #4 challenged Kirt’s skills, the 3D comic craze, the best awful movies, and how Kirt’s art has transformed since Fae Archaic, and Kirt entered a contest that didn’t exist, John is still himself, and David learns about combat kan...

Episode Summary On this episode of The Corner Box, hosts John Barber and David Hedgecock talk about Omnibus shutting down, Larry Hama and GI Joe, the reality of comic book royalties, what Filip and Jamie are really up to, Boom!’s exciting future, and what Peepshow means in 2024, and David gets a mission briefing, and John makes a mistake.   Timestamp Segments ·       [01:55] David’s new alien rese...

Episode Summary On this episode of The Corner Box, Paul Kupperberg returns to join hosts John Barber and David Hedgecock to talk about Direct Creativity, the creators that rock Paul’s boat, Paul’s transformative Comic Con party, working on Archie and World of Krypton, the outrage of One Million Moms, and the podcast gets a new name.   Timestamp Segments ·       [02:05] Paul’s latest book. ·       ...

Episode Summary On this episode of The Corner Box, hosts John Barber and David Hedgecock attempt to solve comics by talking about how comics transformed throughout the 80s, when the codification of comics started, the launch of Eclipse Monthly, Coyote’s comically bad ending, the changing perception of nostalgia, and some major highlights from the magazine, and David and John find recordings made j...

Episode Summary On this episode of The Corner Box, Tom Waltz joins hosts John Barber and David Hedgecock in Part 2 of this conversation to talk about seeing the success of Turtles, the story behind Last Ronin, getting into projects outside of Turtles, and Tom’s ability to discover great talent, and David hints at a secret project.   Timestamp Segments ·       [00:53] Seeing Turtles everywhere. · ...

Episode Summary On this episode of The Corner Box, comic book industry luminary, Tom Waltz, joins hosts John and David in Part 1 of this conversation to talk about Tom’s 157-year journey with TMNT, how he got into comics, plotting major milestones, when he realized he was on the right track, and introducing a 5th Turtle! Also, David becomes John, John renames the show, and Tom stirs some controver...

Episode Summary On this episode of The Corner Box, creators, Andrew Maxwell and Max Davenport, join us to talk about the history behind their up-coming Kickstarter project, First Place Losers. We dive into how to work through designs, how a Jim Lee pinup book got Max into comics, Andrew’s work on the successful Rum Row , and how John did the pandemic wrong. Timestamp Segments ·       [01:51] David...

Episode Summary On this episode of The Corner Box, hosts John Barber and David Hedgecock ditch today’s topic to talk about skateboarders, a new Superman character, David’s new appreciation of Ladrönn’s work, the only Kickstarter that was more successful than theirs, and the evolution of Blackhawk comics, and John struggles to chew, and David teases a new topic.   Timestamp Segments ·       [02:14]...

Episode Summary On this episode of The Corner Box, current Eisner Award Nominee, Tim Seeley, joins hosts John Barber and David Hedgecock to talk about the creative flexibility of Hack/Slash, the advent of the writer-artist, the story behind Local Man, what the collaboration process looks like, the power of manga, the future of Local Man, and creating comics with reverence and affection, and David...

Episode Summary On this episode of The Corner Box, Jim Zub, joins hosts John Barber and David Hedgecock in Part 2 of this conversation to talk about Jim’s history with Conan, becoming known as a writer, his 18-year pitch, what it takes to write effortlessly, and the exciting future of Conan.   Timestamp Segments ·       [00:58] Jim can’t be Jim. ·       [02:34] Making money from comics. ·       [0...

Episode Summary On this episode of The Corner Box, the Love Zub, Jim Zub, joins hosts John Barber and David Hedgecock! In Part 1 of this conversation we talk about when Jim became a comics fan, his extensive Marvel collection, the massive creative influence of DnD, Jim’s journey into a creative career, and Scott McCloud’s pure kindness. Also, Jim learns to cook, John gets a Pro Badge, and David’s...