THE WRITERS BLOCK w/ David Avallone and Rylend Grant

Retailer Riot - Rylend and David chat with two of their favorite comic shop owners - Tiffany Melius (The Perky Nerd in Burbank, CA) and Emmet Garnham (Haven for Heroes in Port Jervis, NY) - about the difficulties retailers have faced during the COVID pandemic and about what we comic creators can do to make their lives easier... and David basically has turn a hose on Rylend and Emmet at one point t...

Recorded LIVE at the MID MAY MASSACRE. Rylend and David talk horror comics with a murderers row of creators... Rodney Barnes (Killadelphia), Eric Powell (The Goon), Phillip Kennedy Johnson (Superman), George C. Romero (The Rise), Brea Grant (We Will Bury You), David Dastmalchian and Lukas Ketner (Count Crowley)... and chaos ensues when a belligerent Kane Hodder trips into the stream and starts dem...

THREE MONKS WALK INTO A BAR - Rylend and David talk with a couple of real deal Zen Monks-turned-authors - Brad Warner (Hardcore Zen) and Shozan Jack Haubner (Zen Confidential) - about the often very complicated proposition of marketing spiritually-slanted works... and when they realize on air that Hitler, Freud, and Einstein where all, at one point, in Vienna at the same time, the guys gleefully b...

ASS SHAKERY 101 - Rylend and David talk with a couple of prolific indie creators - Richard Fairgray (Black Sand Beach) and Ed Laroche (The Warning) about the back, neck, and soul-breaking work of promoting a creator-owned title. STEP 1: Paint your ass blue. STEP 2: Shake it. Shake it. Shake it. GET BLACK SAND BEACH NOW, WHEREVER YOU GET YOUR BOOKS/COMICS! https://holidayhouse.com/site/pixel-ink/?b...

ANTHOLOGICAL STUDIES. A conversation about anthologies with comic/TV scribe Melody Cooper (Omni, Law and Order: SVU) and writer/artist/editor/publisher Fabrice “The Crazy Frenchman” Sapolsky (Spider-man Noir) blossoms into a meaningful exchange of thoughts on diversity, matters of social justice, and what a piece of writing can and should mean to its author… and Rylend talks about the very pure an...

SUPER FRIENDS. David and Rylend put the pens down for a minute and yuk it it up proper with Wonder Woman and Green Lantern... more specifically, they talk voice acting with Susan Eisenberg and Phil LaMarr who voiced Wonder Woman and Green Lantern in the much-lauded JUSTICE LEAGUE animated series. And later in the broadcast, Susan and David connect over a mutual love of daytime television while Ryl...

AN ARTIST’S ADVICE. David and Rylend start out having a “what are we (writers) doing wrong?” chat with artists Skylar Patridge (Resonant, Reversal) and Scott Koblish (Deadpool)… but then things take a violent left turn into Kickstarter town and the four decide they’d like to stay a while. Skylar wears a cool hat. Avallone has a cool mustache. Scott has hypnotically shiny things hanging in his back...

THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT. David and Rylend have a state of the kids/Y.A. comic union pow-wow with Eisner nominees Norm Harper (Rikki, Haphaven) and Emma Steinkellner (Quince, The Okay Witch). Rylend is made more than a bit jealous when he puts eyes on the grand lego city Norm has built in his spare bedroom... but he’s borderline inconsolable when he learns that the residents of said town elected Nor...

In the wake of Marvel cutting ties with Diamond, David and Rylend have a state of the comic union pow-wow with Fanbase Press honchos Barbra and Bryant Dillon and MARGINS scribe David Accampo. Where is the industry going? Where the hell has it been? How in the name of Jobu did we get here? Wherever you go, there you are. Also... there are babies... lots of cute babies in this episode. BE SURE TO BA...

JOURNALISTIC HIGH JINX. This week, David and Rylend talk reviews and comics journalism with Caitlin Rosberg (The A.V. Club) and Hannibal Tabu (Reviews Editor at Bleeding Cool). Recorded while Rylend was getting HVAC installed at his house. Please excuse the intermittent sight/sounds of heating/cooling professionals in the background. BE SURE TO BACK THE JUMP #2 on Kickstarter: bit.ly/thejump2 CAIT...

KICKSTARTER KICKOFF. This week, David and Rylend talk the ins, outs, ups, and downs of Kickstarter campaigning with the platform’s Director of Publishing and Comics Outreach, Oriana Leckert, and creator/Kickstarter veteran Gabe Cheng (INTO THE WILDERNESS). And Rylend starts, in earnest, his quest to amass the largest collection of POINT BREAK VHS tapes (the current, honest-to-God largest collectio...

PODCAST POW WOW. This week, David and Rylend talk podcasting with Aaron Nabus (Hall H Show) and Tilly and Susan Bridges (Pendant Productions). It’s a podcast where a bunch of podcasters talk about podcasting... and that may very well cause a tear in the space-time continuum. Also, Rylend shares with the group his greatest unfulfilled dream... to get a tattoo of a butt with a butt-shaped tattoo on...

THE ART OF CON TABLING. This week, David and Rylend talk with Ringo Award-nominated scribe David Pepose (SPENCER and LOCKE, SCOUTS HONOR), DEMON BITCH writer/artist Christie Shinn, and PABLO THE GORILLA creator Don Nguyen about the ins and outs/the DOs, DON’Ts and MIGHT MAYBES of tabling at Comic Conventions… and Avallone finally briefly opens up about the difficult years he spent trapped in cult...

HEAVY METAL RENASCENCE. This week, David and Rylend talk with Heavy Metal CEO Matt Medney and writers George C. Romero (THE RISE, COLD DEAD WAR) and Stephanie Phillips (TARNA, HARLEY QUINN) about reshaping the Heavy Metal Brand for the 21st century... and Rylend finds out the hard way that you can’t tattoo a baby. STEPHANIE PHILLIPS Twitter: @Steph_Smash Instagram: @snapcracklesteph Website: steph...

CHA-CHA-CHANGES! This week, David (Avallone) and Rylend talk career transitions with Hall of Fame colorist-turned-writer David Baron (various Batman titles, Stained) and acclaimed gallery artist/graphic designer-turned-comic penciler Elisa Wikey (The Cobblestone Chronicles)... and Elisa’s real live goddamn HEDGEHOG makes an appearance... it’s GREAT on video... sincere apologies if you’re listening...

This week, David and Rylend explore the idea of the comic shop as a "community center" and the importance of comic book "how to" classes with educator/former DC Editor Jim Higgins, TV writer/Duplicant scribe Karla Nappi, and Monster Matador creator Steven Prince… and Rylend publicly tells his "I once kept Screech Powers from assaulting someone in the Meltdown parking lot" story for only the 2nd ti...

This week, David and Rylend discuss the ins and outs of publisher deals and Hollywood options with Ringo-nominated comic scribe David Pepose (Scouts Honor, Spencer and Locke) and Eisner nominee Alex De Campi (True War Stories, Bad Girls)... and the group finally definitively determines how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop. SPOILER: It’s 364. DAVID PEPOSE Twitter: @peposed...

This week, David and Rylend discuss the finer points of crowdfunding, writerly research, and “truth” in comics/movies with screenwriter/graphic novelist Steven Peros (Stoker and Wells) and 4-time Eisner nominee Billy Tucci (SHI)… and the group wrestles doughtily with a question that has plagued great minds since 1969… who was the better Darrin on Bewitched, York or Sergeant? STEVEN PEROS Twitter:...

THE WRITER/ARTIST RELATIONSHIP. This week, David and Rylend talk collaboration with artists they’ve spent years in the trenches with, Dave Acosta (Elvira, Dragon) snd Zsombor Huszka (Aberrant, Orient City)… and the show stops suddenly when the 4-year-old with whom Rylend is quarantined demands help using the “potty.” DAVE ACOSTA Twitter: @davedrawsgood Instagram: @davedrawsgood Website: davedrawsg...

ACTUALLY WRITING COMICS - PART 1. This week, David and Rylend talk pitching with Eisner-nominated comic scribe Nancy Collins (SWAMP THING) and Archie Comics Co-President/STAR WARS - POE DAMERON: FREE FALL writer Alex Segura... and David tries unsuccessfully to talk Rylend out of shamelessly pitching his Archie-meets-Bubbles-from-THE WIRE one-shot. Craig Hamilton Emergency Medical Fund Go Fund Me L...

MEN OF LETTERS. This week, David and Rylend talk lettering with Eisner-winning comic writer/letterer John Layman (CHEW, Various BATMAN titles) and former DC Staff letterer Taylor Esposito. David reminisces thoughtfully about his filmic salad days, spent ghosting for a legendary exploitation director, and the group decides once and for all if Coke is, in fact, IT. JOHN LAYMAN Twitter: @themightylay...

ORIGIN STORIES. Comic book characters have origin stories, obviously... but so do comic book writers. Eisner-nominated comic scribe (DR. DOOM and IRON MAN)/HALT AND CATCH FIRE Showrunner Christopher Cantwell and Ringo-nominated JUPITER JET creators Ashley V. Robinson and Jason Inman discuss their humble beginnings, what inspired them to walk their creative walks. Also, Cantwell reveals that he onc...

PLAYING WITH OTHER PEOPLE’S TOYS. This week, David and Rylend are joined by Eisner Nominee Cecil Castellucci (Batgirl) and Superman of Metropolis writer Sean Lewis. The group discusses the finer points of writing iconic comic book characters. Cecil, Sean, and Rylend discover that they all have the same IP agent (whom Avallone also once had lunch with). And Rylend attempts, on air, to leap over his...

This week, David and Rylend are joined by New Yorker Cartoonist Emily Flake and Pulitzer Prize finalist Lalo Alcaraz (LA CUCARACHA). The group explores the often thorny intersection of comics and politics and Rylend gleefully discusses the unfettered stupidity of old white men. The episode ends abruptly, however, when Avallone realizes he’s running late for a well-earned romantic getaway with his...

Ringo Awards Riot. This week, David and Rylend are broadcasting from Baltimore Comic Con Live! The dynamic duo is joined by cornucopia of elite creators - Matt Fraction (Sex Criminals), Stan Sakai (Usagi Yojimbo), David Pepose (Spencer and Locke), Drew Edwards (Halloween Man), Troy Little (Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons and Dragons), and IDW Editor Scott Dunbier - to discuss their 2020 Ringo Award no...