Dollar Bin Bandits

Today we sit down with artist and writer  Rae Allen  to discuss her new series  Carmen Red Claw: Belly of the Beast , co-written with  Mike Mignola  and set in the  Hellboy Universe . Rae shares how she built Carmen, a supernatural gun-for-hire in the 1870s Southwest, from a tiny piece of Lobster Johnson lore that caught Mignola's attention, discussing her striking visual design and shoulder demon...

Indie creator  Russ Kazmierczak  is back on the Bandits, celebrating his crossing the 55-issue milestone of  Amazing Arizona Comics , reflecting on how the series has evolved since his last appearance, and the challenges of maintaining a long-running independent series. Russ also dives deep into his 10th year participating in the  24-Hour Comic Challenge , explaining the concept, his process of ba...

In this middle episode of Indie Week,  Snake  (Scott Matthew Watson) discusses his journey from discovering comics to developing his own distinctive voice as a creator to detailing his new series  Grinding Against the Marrow , a dark and visceral story that defies easy genre classification. Watson breaks down the striking title's meaning, introduces the series' key characters and their driving mot...

In today's interview, indie creator  Marvin Wynn  discusses creating  The Edge , a series blending elements of  The Bourne Identity ,  The Fugitive , and  Justice League of America  that centers on characters with varied superpowers gained through exposure to a mysterious genetic-altering substance spreading globally. Marvin details his collaboration with Philippines-based artist Mark Vuycan Kiat...

Vintage toy collector and pop culture historian  Brian Heiler  pops by to discuss his collecting journey, explaining how his fascination with 70s and 80s ephemera led him to create  Plaid Stallions , an extensive online archive that has become an invaluable resource for researchers and nostalgic fans alike. Heiler shares his process for acquiring and digitizing rare materials, reveals some of the...

In this interview celebrating the  25th anniversary of  Ultimate Spider-Man , legendary artist  Mark Bagley  reflects on his career from winning the Marvel Try-Out Book contest through defining runs on  New Warriors ,  Amazing Spider-Man ,  Thunderbolts , and his iconic collaboration with Brian Michael Bendis on  Ultimate Spider-Man . Mark discusses the creative rhythm of working with Bendis for 1...

In this episode, we welcome  Keith Finch  to discuss his journey from #comics fan to creator, the founding of  Full Service Comics , and his ambitious project adapting the obscure 1985  Morphodroids  toy line into a comic book series. Finch explains the meta-narrative where the toys existed within the comic's universe, distinguishing Morphodroids from Transformers, and how he assembled an internat...

In our second editors roundtable episode,  DC Comics  veterans  Paul Levitz ,  Mike Carlin , and  Jack C. Harris  discuss the realities of editorial work, from assembling creative teams and managing personalities, to the daily struggles that fans sometimes romanticize about the job. The three editors reflect on decisions they knew would be debated for decades, highlight each other's editorial stre...

In the final installment of One of Us Week,  Chris Piers  of the  Comic Tropes  YouTube channel discusses his journey from a former real-life superhero to launching his educational and entertaining video series covering comic book trends and themes, creator histories, and lesser-known series and storylines. Chris details his research process, how he balances insightful analysis with comedy, and re...

In our second edition of One of Us Week, hosts  Robb Milne ,  Bryan Stratton , and  Jamie Wenger  of the  Marvel by the Month  podcast drop by to discuss their ambitious chronological journey through Marvel Comics history. They explain how they came together to launch the show, their approach to tackling Marvel's publication timeline month by month, their research process and selection criteria, a...

In the inaugural episode of One of Us Week, host  Dave Wexler  opens up about how he built and manages two different comic shows — his  West Coast Davengers  YouTube channel, where he blends weekly live comic sales, guest interviews, and on-location con coverage with a fan-first energy, and his  Direct Edition  podcast, a weekly, free-form show that features in-depth conversations with creators an...

As one of the Dollar Bin Bandits earliest guests, independent comic creator Len Mihalovich has been very busy in the past few years. With his popular creations Section 12 and Tracksuit Man under his banner Lenovations Press, he is now growing his brand bringing on new artists and writers. Some of those projects include Red Mask, The Wild West Adventures of Buffalo Bill and others. To learn more ch...

Today we sit down with acclaimed writer  Jason Aaron  for a wide-ranging, creator-focused conversation about craft, collaboration, and longevity in comics. Jason reflects on defining runs like  Thor ,  Wolverine and the X-Men , and  Absolute Superman , breaking down how he approaches character- and world-building, as well as big stories that still feel personal. He also discusses what continues to...

In this episode, we sit down with indie creator  James Coats  to talk shop about building comics from the ground up, from his creator-owned projects  Dino Beasts  and  Galaxy Gods  to his role in co-founding  Power Pulp Comics . Coats breaks down how his love of big concepts, retro genre energy, and hands-on collaboration shapes both his own books and the wider Power Pulp lineup. The conversation...

In this special Dollar Bin Bandits roundtable episode, legendary Marvel editors  Tom DeFalco, Terry Kavanagh,  and  Ralph Macchio  return to reflect on their shared history shaping Marvel Comics during some of its most influential eras. The trio swap behind-the-scenes stories about editorial life, breaking in new creators, and steering major characters and events, while offering candid insights in...

In a lively episode, we're joined by veteran actor  Julian Glover  to dig into his legendary film career. Julian reflects on how he first fell for stories and characters as a kid, and then traced his path from British theater to iconic roles in  The Empire Strikes Back ,  Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade ,  For Your Eyes Only ,  Game of Thrones , and more. He shares funny behind-the-scenes anecd...

We sit down with legendary artist  Geof Darrow  to discuss the new Dark Horse collection,  The Shaolin Cowboy: Beginning of the End Results--21 Years of Blood, Sweat, and Chainsaws HC , celebrating over two decades of his hyper-detailed, Eisner Award-winning series about an unnamed former Shaolin monk wandering with his talking mule. Geof shares how the series was inspired by Kung Fu, Kurosawa's ...

Today we welcome back  Tom Marvelli , head of  Another Door Comics , to discuss his newest project,  Apparition Metempsychosis: Book One – The Moment of Sin , the first installment of a supernatural thriller trilogy. Tom shares details about this all-new story that explores the world of Michael Landry, a mercenary whose life is mystically saved after a mission but who returns consumed by overwhelm...

Today, we sit down with prolific artist Scott Koblish , who entered comics through Marvel’s Romita Raiders program  and built a 15-year inking career before transitioning to penciling in 2008. Scott talks about his work on hundreds of comics across Marvel, DC, Image, and more, including his acclaimed six-year run on Deadpool and the Guinness World Record–breaking Deadpool #27 cover. We also get in...

We wrap up our miniseries on Bloomsbury’s Marvel Age of Comics books with a deep dive into returning guest Chris Ryall’s take on Daredevil: Born Again . Chris walks us through what pulled him toward revisiting the Miller–Mazzucchelli classic and why the arc’s themes of identity, faith, and total breakdown still hit so hard. He sheds light on the creative partnership behind the original story, digs...

We welcome back Stuart Moore to discuss his new Marvel Age of Comics book, Doctor Strange: A Decade of Dark Magic . Stuart explores Doctor Strange's first ten years from his 1963 debut through the early '70s, examining how the Steve Ditko/Stan Lee stories' trippy, philosophical approach influenced 1960s counterculture , and how that counterculture in turn shaped the minds of later creators like St...

Kicking off our Marvel Age of Comics miniseries, we talk with writer and historian Paul Cornell, about his career and new book, Marvel Age of Comics: The Mighty Avengers vs. the 1970s , which explores how Marvel’s flagship heroes evolved against a decade defined by social upheaval, cultural reinvention, and boundary-pushing storytelling. Cornell first talks about his Doctor Who writing and work in...

We sit down with Emilio Velez Jr. , the award-winning writer and illustrator behind The Dodgeball Teens . Emilio shares his journey from overcoming a cognitive learning disability and defying expectations to pursuing his passion for comics in the last decade. With his mother’s support and years of hard work, he transformed his dream into reality—creating twelve issues and a graphic novel—while spr...

In today's episode, comic book writer and artist Andy Lanning reflects on his path into the industry, the creative influences that shaped him, and the long-running partnership with Dan Abnett that redefined Marvel’s cosmic universe through Annihilation , Nova , and Guardians of the Galaxy . He discusses the surprising longevity of their cosmic stories, his personal connections to characters like S...

Today, we welcome six-time New York Times bestselling comics writer Fred Van Lente to discuss his career, starting with Action Philosophers , moving throughhis acclaimed Marvel and Valiant work, and focusing on his ambitious new project The Future is ****** . We get into his early work with Platinum Studios, Marvel titles like Marvel Zombies and his acclaimed Incredible Hercules run with Greg Pak,...