Portrait of an Editor

For this new episode of CROPPED, Will Dennis and I have a fun conversation about 1972’s THE GETAWAY. Directed by Sam Peckinpah, starring Steve McQueen and Ali MacGraw, and written by Jim Thompson and Walter Hill, we discussed what comic book creators could learn from Peckinpah’s work in crafting something more than just a crime genre programmer.

For this new episode of Portrait of an Editor, I reconnected with Dave Wielgosz. We talked about his new series, Showdown with Ignition Press, which you should order today. Dave provides info about that. For the first part of the interview, we discussed surviving as a freelance editor and writer in comics. As usual, you can find all the old episodes of Portrait of an Editor at its Patreon page and...

In this ep. I get to live vicariously through Will Dennis's visits to San Diego Comic Con 2025 and Terrificon. Even though I recorded this months ago, what Will Dennis had to say about his visits to 2025's San Diego Comic Con and Connecticut's TerrifiCon is still very relevant with what's going on in the United States and comics. Will also mentioned a new venture that developed from an idea he fir...

Will Dennis and I talk about SDCC 2025, ICE, and Lee Marvin's POINT BLANK.

At the beginning of 2025, I mentioned wanting to see the return of Greg Rucka and Michael Lark's LAZARUS. Well, 2025 finally delivered something good for a change. LAZARUS is back, and its editor, Alejandro Arbona, is here to talk about one of the best comic books Image Comics has ever published. Also, we talk about the breathtaking horror one-shot Alejandro wrote, LAKE YELLOWWOOD SLAUGHTER. Goats...

Sorry about the delay, but finally, here's the third part of my conversation with Stephanie Phillips. It's a fantastic wrap-up and contains plenty of new info on managing a writing career in comic books. One thing I took away from it was that you need to be prepared to do the work and don't fear that part either. Everyone who is succeeding as a writer finds a way to write their way across the fini...

As promised, here's my conversation with Chris Thompson about the Heavy Metal relaunch. Chris is one of the three editor masterminds behind the rebirth of Heavy Metal. You should be able to find the new issue right now. It's even on newsstands throughout the world. If you're a Heavy Metal fan, then you should rush out and get it right now. It's a stunning magazine.

Here's part two of my conversation with Stephanie Phillips and Will Dennis.

Even though there has been a bit of a gap between episodes, I've been hard at work getting interviews. In fact, I have a new three-part interview with Stephanie Phillips, with Will Dennis co-hosting. We spent our time talking about how to approach building and maintaining a writing career in comic books.

In this episode, my friend Alex Schumacher returns to discuss his new Original Graphic Novel, The Effects of Pickled Herring. In 2024, his OGN won two national JewCE Awards from The Center for Jewish History in the categories of "All Ages" and "Autobiographical/Biographical Content." We talk about his long trek to get his OGN into readers' hands. An update-- The past 50 or so episodes are now on Y...

I'm sorry for the months-long gap between episodes. Unfortunately, getting my podcasting muscle back into shape took much longer than expected. Hopefully, this recent break helped me recharge. My conversation with Will Dennis during this week's episode should get us caught up. 2025 is shaping up to be a challenging year for comics. However, the medium came into its own during the Great Depression,...

Will Dennis and I talk about the screening of MILLER'S CROSSING that he's guest hosting. We also cover how great THE BATMAN is and written dialogue vs. comic book dialogue.

I had a great conversation with Will Dennis and Pornsak Pichetshote about their new publishing venture -- THE HORIZON EXPERIMENT from Image Comics. We discussed how they work together as editors and the punk attitude they brought to the project. FYI- The FOC for THE MANCHURIAN is September 2.

We talk a bit about Alter Ego, the follow-up novel to Alex Segura's 2022 novel Secret Identity. Then we jump into talking about Mad Cave's Dick Tracy. FYI, issue two hits stores on 6/12. Also, if you missed the first issue, a second printing is available.

In this Portrait of an Editor, Sarah Litt and I discuss her work at Ahoy Comics and The Clash and how being an Ex-Pat influences her work and outlook on life. Ahoy Comics has been on my radar since they started out, and I suggest checking out the comics Sarah edits and other books in the Ahoy line-up. They are producing some funny and thought-provoking books—basically, what outstanding comic books...

Will and I talk about editors delivering bad news to creators, including canceling books, firings, and passing on pitches. Portrait of an Editor has a sponsor: Magic Mind, an excellent productivity elixir. The show's discounts are available at https://www.magicmind.co/portraitofaneditor with discount code ANTIX20.

In this Portrait of an Editor, Dave Wielgosz discusses his move from the East Coast to the West Coast and his journey from editor to writer. Along the way, we cover what could help you become an editor at DC Comics or Marvel and the support he got from his folks in his hometown. Dave let me ramble on about my obsession with DC's 80-page Giants and the importance of short stories like them for a wr...

This ep covers a lot! Will Dennis and I address one of the core reasons for this podcast by discussing Roy Thomas taking co-creator credit for Wolverine and Will's own experiences with creator-owned material, specifically the origins of Vertigo's SCALPED. We also discuss deadlines and how Batman's penis changed the course of DC's Black Label. Portrait of an Editor has a sponsor: Magic Mind, an exc...

The Dead the Damned could be 2024's theme for the comics industry. For now ,  it's the title of Goats Flying Press's first release. After a two-year break, I talked with Sebastian Girner about his new publishing venture, Goats Fly Press, and whether it was a smart idea to launch a new company during these crazy times for comic book publishing. Sebastian really gets into the details about his prese...

I've heard many people say no one buys comic book anthologies. Well, that might not be so true. For several years, DC Comics has had a successful run with its 80-Page Giant seasonal anthologies. Alex Antone, who edited some of the earlier issues, joined me in discussing why these anthologies are so fun and successful. Portrait of an Editor has a sponsor: Magic Mind, an excellent productivity elixi...

Here's a bonus interview with Amanda Meadows about Fairsquare Comics' new Kickstarter project -- Mutiny: Black Girl Magick. A heads-up. This ep contains two or three f-bombs.    Mutiny Black Girl Magick Kickstarter Page https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1hitwonder/mutiny-black-girl-magik1/comments

Will Dennis and I connect to talk about a few things 2023 and a few things 2024. We cover NYCC 2023, Thought Bubble, Roger Stern, Will's favorite comic of 2023, Moonshine, the loss of editorial institutional knowledge, and the demise of comics in 2024.

Post San Diego Comic-Con 2023, I had a great conversation with Denton Tipton about the new version of Magma Comix. We cover Denton's and Magma's past, present, and future and what keeps him going through the ups and downs that come with working comic books.

First, DSTRLY's anthology, THE DEVIL'S CUT, which Will Dennis discusses in this ep, was released last week. So scoop up your copy before it sells out.  Along with talking about 2023's San Diego Comic-Con, we also review Will's past and discuss his future with Comixology, the digital vs. physical reading experience, being part of yet another Eisner win, and the success of DSTERLY's booth. Finally,...

SDCC2023, Barcon, John Byrne, COVID, BARNSTORMERS, Fabio Moon, and we spent some serious time discussing all the covers for DSTRLY's Devil's Cut and how they came to be. (FYI - This was recorded a bit before the SAG-AFTRA strike.)