Comic Book Couples Counseling Podcast

Uh-oh. Tony Fleecs and Tim Seeley (along with colorist Brian Reber) have waded into precious waters with The Princess Murders. We podcasters have very strong opinions about Disney princesses and black-gloved Giallo killers, and we need to check their cred before we go any further. Their new Image Comics series plunges into the dark depths of both fantasy lands, but thankfully does so with profound...

This week, Dan Slott joins us for a giant-sized conversation about The Spectacular Spider-Man. Thanks to a little MCU synergy, Slott finds himself back in his early days, writing Spider-Man during his “Brand New Day” era. He’s dancing between the raindrops, attempting to fill out a previous Spider-Man epoch while hopefully expanding current continuity. Sounds like quite the magic trick. Five month...

We’re back from New York Comic Con and The Harvey Awards, and we’ve brought Alex Ross and Sal Abbinanti with us. On the show this week, we recap our experience hosting The Harvey Awards for the third straight year and discuss how purchasing a couple of original art pieces has propelled us into a bold new world. We also dive into Marvel Dimensions, the bold new graphic novel from Alex Ross, publish...

Yup, it’s Halloween season, and Matt Wagner and Kelley Jones are back on the podcast talking Dracula. At three years running, with a practical guarantee that they’ll be back this time next year, we’re turning their guest appearances into a legit Comic Book Couples Counseling tradition. And we’re so incredibly happy at the notion. After their last three books, we were sure, but with Dracula: The Un...

What did we all do to deserve this? Patrick Horvath and Tyler Crook are collaborating on Archie in Hell, part of the new Oni Press/Archie Comics partnership. They’re two of the best cartoonists working in the industry today. We never imagined them together on the same book, especially one that sends America’s favorite teenager straight to H-E double hockey sticks. Whatever we did, let’s keep doing...

What’s in a title? This week, Kyle Starks takes us to school, detailing the best way to hook a reader and use your following to do it. Louise Sprouse Stole My Heart (And I Have Two Hours to Get It Back) is live on Kickstarter . As of this writing, you have eight days to back this book and grab yourself a cute little desk calendar in the process. The comic is the third from Kyle Starks, following K...

Light the Bat-Signal, friends. Scott Snyder is back on the podcast, reflecting on Batman: The Court of Owls and how it served as a massive lesson in character. Both on and off the page. Fifteen years ago, a roar rushed through every local comic book shop. Cries of blasphemy rattled over the racks and rippled atop the longboxes. DC Comics rebooted every single one of their titles with a new number...

We want everyone who needs this comic to find this comic. Pig Wife astonished us both, but our first encounter with it rocked us so hard we needed weeks to process it. After that, Pig Wife took root, and we’ve carried the comic ever since, processing much of our daily lives through its lens. Lisa read it first, early in the year. As she turned through its pages, the temperature around her seemed t...

A common complaint within the comics discourse is that new books can’t get past the sixth issue. Well, friends, have you been reading The Toxic Avenger over at Ahoy Comics? Cartoonist Matt Bors, along with several other artists, has been building a massive universe of stories at Ahoy, and they’ve radically upgraded the Troma superhero for the modern era. These are books with bite, and stories stuf...

The only way to have a friend is to be one. Kodi by Jared Cullum perfectly encapsulates the notion. The original graphic novel, published six years ago, told the exquisite story of a lonely girl, Katya, rescuing a bear in need, Kodi, and finding connection through the act. Now, Cullum is back with a follow-up, Kodi: A Place to Call Home. It could have easily continued the cozy, warm, watercolor co...

It’s always a good time when Chris Condon and Jacob Phillips find their way back on the show. It’s especially grand when they’re back to chat about That Texas Blood, and it’s even better when they come guns blazing with the new Hell Comes to Allison Ranch relaunch and news of an upcoming television adaptation. FOC for the new series is this upcoming Monday. Get on your Bat-phone, and get your loca...

We don’t want to know your favorite Ninja Turtle. We want to know which Ninja Turtle is you. Which Ninja Turtle best represents your personality and behavior? Not everyone is comfortable answering the question, but Matthew Rosenberg gives it a go in our recent conversation at San Diego Comic-Con International, after a little nudge/encouragement. Matt Rosenberg will take over writing duties on Teen...

This week, we’re once again in the thick of San Diego Comic-Con International, chatting with filmmaker Duncan Jones about his upcoming animated adaptation of Rogue Trooper, based on the iconic 2000 AD character created by Gerry Finley-Day and Dave Gibbons. Amongst the pulsating exhibit hall, tucked inside the 2000 AD booth, we chat with Jones about his passion for Rogue Trooper, how it ties themat...

Every comic book reader remembers the first time they encountered Bill Sienkiewicz. Whether it was in Moon Knight, The New Mutants, Elektra: Assassin, or a recent variant for Absolute Batman, Sienkiewicz’s art smacks your eyeballs and demands your attention. You probably weren’t sure about it at first, but as your eyes refused to leave, you discovered new wonders capable in this medium called comi...

It’s never been easier to get 2000 AD: The Galaxy’s Greatest Comic in your grubby, American mitts. Stop what you’re doing. Grab your phone. Call your shop. Get your Progs and Megazines in your pullbox. If you need any more convincing than that, then Drokk, do we have an episode for you today. As San Diego Comic-Con International begins its finale, we chat with 2000 AD Thrill-Cast hosts Michael Mol...

Something magical is happening between the first and second arcs of FML, the Dark Horse Comics series. Writer Kelly Sue DeConnick is passing scripting duties to her husband, Matt Fraction. Since the book began as a melodramatic amplification of her family experience, it seems natural, but we don’t think such a regime change has ever happened before in comics. David López will remain on art, showca...

Cartoonist and animator Ben Wickey spent more than a decade toiling away on More Weight. The original graphic novel is an astonishing achievement, recounting the Salem witch trials through extensive research and dusting off History’s cobwebs. Wickey re-contextualizes the events and the people, establishing how the horror stretches across time, touching upon literary giants like Nathaniel Hawthorne...

The digital comics market has evolved massively in the last few years. It’s time we had a proper conversation about our relationship with it, and we’re eager to have it with Comixology veterans and Neon Ichiban founders David Steinberger and Chip Mosher. With San Diego Comic-Con International in full swing, we brought them onto the show to discuss their evolution with digital comics and what they’...

Today, we’re bringing San Diego Comic-Con International to you, our beautiful listeners. Writer Christopher Cantwellreturns to the show for a boisterous Star Trek celebration. On September 23rd, IDW Publishing is relaunching its Star Trek line. Cantwell spearheads the main ongoing series alongside his artist collaborator, Dennis Menheere. We’ve been given a sneak peek, and consider their phasers s...

The grownups killed the world. To escape destruction, Henry built The Forever Home. Inside, his family enjoys existence, protected by the poisonous elements outside. One catch: their time is compressed. For every twenty minutes they live, one hour outside passes. Nothing should ever cross the threshold. Writer Christian Ward is having a moment. He’s about to launch his new artworld horror, The Pat...

We are the choices we make. Good guy? Bad guy? We decide that every day until our last day. On this week's podcast, we’re exploring how heroism and villainism mingle in Lavender Jack, the pulp adventure from cartoonist Dan Schkade. We’re considering when to swim with society and when to swim against it, and how comic book vigilante justice too often forgets its own messaging. Lavender Jack, origin...

Witnessing adaptation is one of our great pleasures. How does one transform an audio medium into a visual one? How will the podcast World Beyond Number, from Brennan Lee Mulligan, Erika Ishii, Aabria Iyengar, and Lou Wilson, expand into The Wizard, The Witch, and The Wild One, courtesy of comic storytellers Jadzia Axelrod and Sarah Webb? When the chance to ponder the thought arose with some of tho...

No hard sell required with this one. Operation: Iron Coffin #1 is in shops today, courtesy of IDW Publishing . It’s concocted by our new favorite comic book dynamic duo, Kenny Porter and Tyrell Cannon (with letterer Shawn Lee). In its pages, you’ll see Bram Stoker’s Dracula working for the Allies during World War II. Like a bomb, he’s dropped from a plane upon a secret Nazi gold train. He lands in...

It’s fantastic when a comic gives you a jolt. Beast of Borikén, written by Julio Anta and illustrated by Daniel Irizarri, delivers a great prod, stimulating your brain to run numerous scenarios on and off the page. It’s the story of a people who’ve witnessed so much monstrosity at the hands of invaders. It’s a story of people finding strength in their neighbors, ancestors, and legends. The first i...

No one is more surprised than we are. Frank Miller, the legendary comics maker behind Daredevil: Born Again, Ronin, Batman: Year One, Sin City, and The Dark Knight Returns, which celebrates its fortieth anniversary this year, joins us this week to discuss his career as he filtered it through his new memoir/self-help book, Push The Wall: My Life, Writing, Drawing, and The Art of Storytelling. His l...