Off Panel: A Comics Interview Podcast

Writer and actor Iman Vellani joins the show to talk about her life, career, and new Image Comics series Chachu. Vellani discusses the buildup to Chachu, her writing experience, her comic origins, jumping into the middle of comics, her career and comic guides, her path to Ms. Marvel, how Chachu came together, working with Tiny Onion, the appeal of the 1970s, the story's multigenerational side, figuring out scripting, putting the creative team together, the difference between writing superheroes versus creator-owned, turning influence into art, testing her imposter syndrome, whether she wants to keep writing comics, figuring out her life, and more.

Writer Ed Brubaker joins the show to talk about his long collaboration with Sean Phillips and the recently released Five Gears in Reverse. Brubaker discusses the status of the Criminal show, the state of TV, why Sean Phillips fits him so well, how they push each other, his favorites from their run, what fuels their new projects, Criminal as a story engine, Five Gears in Reverse's origins, the fusion of their approaches, the development of its cast, the roots of Unfinished Tales, operating in their own space, how their books have sold of late, and more.

Near Mint Condition's Omar Valdivieso joins the show to talk about the world of comic collections and his YouTube channel that focuses on that larger space. Valdivieso discusses his suits, going full time on Near Mint Condition, his focus on collections, his preferred format, making the case for onis, the origins of Near Mint Condition, balancing his approach, the pressure to create, his idea generation process, the mix on the channel, the state of the collection market, the format boom, which publishers are delivering, Marvel's position, the video space for comics, how he manages everything, and more.

Cartoonist Matt Kindt joins the show to talk about his journey to the return of MIND MGMT and the arrival of Fort Psycho. Kindt discusses the energy that drives his comics, having a holistic view, his approach to MIND MGMT: New & Improved, what he's learned from his recent stretch, his time at Valiant, moving Flux House to Oni, the challenges of doing everything yourself, the origins of MIND MGMT's return, the nature of the story, pushing storytelling, playing with readers, the joy of the comic, its promotion, the roots of Fort Psycho, character creation, collaboration, the importance of learning, and more.

Artist Rob Guillory joins the show to talk about his current approach to comics and the upcoming Kickstarter for Ghostbrawler #1: The Bruiser Edition. Guillory discusses Chew adaptation news, the adaptation process, the nature of being a creator, how things have evolved since he started in comics, the different audiences in comics, diversifying his workload, the model he's following, taking on writing, the origins of Ghostbrawler, the creative partnership at its core, the shadow of Chew, the nature of a cartoonist, going the Kickstarter route, figuring out which projects to do, whether experimentation will always be a focus, and more.