Word Balloon Comics Podcast

The Finder creator is back with a new famiy fantasy series eries she's posying free at her patreon. It's part Harry Potter Part Twilight Zone and part star trek. patreon.com/carlaspeedmcneil 

Today, we’re diving into one of the more… let’s say unique corners of pop culture with my guest, Mr. Skin, as we talk about this year’s Skinatomy Awards. Now before anyone clutches their pearls, let me just say this. I’ve always believed in free speech. Not in some high-minded, academic way… just in a real, common-sense way. People should be able to express themselves. That includes language, that...

There’s been a lot of chatter lately about Green Lantern—especially with Grant Morrison weighing in on Damon Lindelof’s comments and HBO’s decision to frame its upcoming series around  Lanterns. And look,when Grant Morrison speaks up about Green Lantern, it’s not noise. It’s coming from real creative experience. Grant, along with artist Liam Sharp, delivered one of the most imaginative and ambitio...

Steve The Dude Rude is back to talk about his upcoming  NEXUS BATTLE FOR THUNEWORLD ARTIST EDITION LAUNCHING ON BACKERKIT MAR 28  for more info go to http://www.steverude.com/thuneworldae

Our long nightmare is over...for now. 

Dan is back to talk about Superman Unlimited and the big Supes event that starts this Wednessday Reign Of The Superboys with issue 11. We also talk about his upcoming Sipder-Man Noir '38 Superman crossover, in the Marvel version of the event April 15th Dan alo previews a new FF story in the Fantastic Four First Foes MCU one shot with Mark Buckingham. plus he teases comic back to a monthly Spidey b...

Ahoy again, cruise lovers! Welcome back to E-Motion Sickness, the Word Balloon Love Boat re-watch where Ian Brill Franco and I climb aboard the Pacific Princess and relive the romance, comedy, and wonderfully over-the-top guest stars that made this show a Saturday-night TV institution. Today we’re diving into Season 1, Episode 2, which originally aired October 1st, 1977 — and already you can see t...

Along with thoughts on Big Jim and The White Boy, we get into David's upcoming book on Black Cinema, his thoughts on Sinners, in time for the Oscars, and more 

Today we’re talking about one of the biggest icons in pop culture, Godzilla, and how the King of the Monsters is stomping his way through comics right now over at IDW. My guest is Jake Williams, the editor guiding the current and upcoming wave of Godzilla books. And if you’ve been paying attention, IDW has been building something really fun in the kaiju corner of the comics world. Bringing in a wi...

Today on Word Balloon, we’re blasting off with two creators bringing one of science fiction’s most legendary heroes back into orbit. Writer Alex DeCampi and artist Marc Laming have launched a Kickstarter to revive the classic British space adventurer Dan Dare, the Pilot of the Future. For generations, Dan Dare has been a cornerstone of UK science-fiction comics, created by Frank Hampson for the pa...

In this episode, I sit down with cartoonist and longtime Marvel letterer Rick Parker for a wide-ranging conversation about his career in comics and cartooning. Rick spent years lettering at Marvel Comics, working during a fascinating period in the company’s history and contributing his distinctive hand to titles like Amazing Spider-Man and many others. We talk about what lettering at Marvel was re...

Today I’m talking with actor, writer, and lifelong comics fan David Dastmalchian. You know David from a ton of great genre work . He played Thomas Schiff in The Dark Knight, Kurt in Marvel’s Ant-Man, and Polka-Dot Man in The Suicide Squad. And horror fans have been raving about his performance as the haunted late-night host Jack Delroy in Late Night with the Devil. But beyond acting, David is also...

Kelly Sue DeConnick from 2012 lays out her Carol Danvers plans. They led to 32 issues a big movie hit and a new wave of Marvel readers 

Today on Word Balloon, we’re celebrating a milestone in comics history — the 40th anniversary of The Dark Knight Returns , with the man whose inks helped define its look, Klaus Janson. When Frank Miller reinvented Batman in 1986, it wasn’t just the writing and pencils that shocked the comics world. Janson’s bold, expressive inks were a huge part of the book’s gritty atmosphere, giving Miller’s pag...

On this episode of Word Balloon, I’m joined by writer Alex Segura. Alex has made a name for himself in comics and crime fiction, and now he’s stepping back into the Marvel Universe with his new Daredevil prose novel. We talk about bringing Matt Murdock to life in a full-length novel, how the story captures the tone of Hell’s Kitchen and Daredevil’s world, and how writing a Marvel novel differs fro...

On this episode of Word Balloon, I’m catching up with a creator who’s never been afraid to follow his own path. Cartoonist Jim Terry made a huge impact in comics with his powerful graphic memoir Come Home, Indio, a deeply personal story about identity, heritage, and redemption that connected with readers across the industry. But Jim’s creative instincts don’t stop at the comics page. These days he...

Hey kids, you just suffered a major dose of Trauma in many ways. Let's all put on...a play? And great news Tilly from Discovery, who has no professional experience in dealing with Trauma is here to help ! 

Welcome back to Word Balloon , and welcome aboard for another episode of E-Motion Sickness: A Love Boat Re-Watch. We’re starting right at the beginning with Season One, Episode One . The launch point for the whole Love Boat phenomenon: sunny escapism, rotating celebrity passengers, and just enough heartfelt romance to keep you watching even when the plot gets gloriously ridiculous.  This first voy...

Publisher Filip Sablik joins me to discuss the IP line ad their choices for genre fiction. 

From 2017 In this special live recording from Salt Lake Comic Con’s FanX, legendary comic-book writer Marv Wolfman sits down with me for an expansive conversation spanning his remarkable career. Marv delves into his defining work on The New Teen Titans, the game-changing Crisis on Infinite Earths, his contributions to Blade and Tomb of Dracula, and more , all with the energy of a live audience fue...

We’re getting down and dirty in the sticky-floored, neon-lit world of grindhouse cinema with filmmaker and storyteller Michael Stradford. Michael and I dive headfirst into the raw, unapologetic energy that made grindhouse legendary. The regional theaters, the four-wallers, the double features that mixed western gun smoke with kung-fu fury and hard-hitting blaxploitation attitude. We talk about wha...