On this edition of the word balloon podcast, host John Siuntres
engages in a friendly debate with writer Robert Kirkman. Yesterday,
Kirkman released a video message explaining some of his reasons for leaving Marvel Comics, and becoming a partner at Image Comics. He's decided to focus on his creator owned original books, like Invincible, The Astounding Wolfman , and The Walking Dead.

Beyond that the video is a call to arms for fellow creators to focus soley
on their original stories, instead of the licesened work from the big 2
comic book companies,  Marvel and DC. He explains further, that DC and Marvel should gear their main titles and stories on the younger end of the comic reading audience and should leave more mature stories to smaller publishers. He's calling on the industry as a whole to come together and figure out a new publishing strategy for the entire business.

Kirkman came to Word Balloon to expand on some of these ideas.

The Writer Artist is back to talk about creator owned projects, like The Legion Of The Supernatural from IDW, Gigantic from dark Horse, and the Sci-Fi adventure series Fear Agent, but Rick has hit the big 2 comic companies at full force.

We discuss his work on Marvel's Punisher War Journal, and DC's Booster Gold.

The DC artist is back with behind the scenes but spoiler free insight
to 2 of 2009's big story events. Flash Rebirth, featuring the return of Barry Allen, and Green Lantern The Blackest Night both penned by Geoff Johns, with hero and villian designs from Ethan.

On this edition of the Word Balloon podcast, host John Siuntres sits down with DC artist Don Kramer. They go through Don's career path from his early days at Caliber Comics through his work on Dr Fate, JSA and Batman, collaborating with writers like Geoff Johns, James Robinson and Paul Dini.

They also go in depth, discussing his current work on Nightwing with writer Peter Tomasi . Today they start a new arc in issue #147, featuring a confrontation between Dick Grayson and Harvey (Two-Face)  Dent. Two face is the one  Batman Rouge that has always shown contempt for Dick, going back to his early days as Robin. 

"Dick hates Harvey, he doesn't feel the guilt that Batman does about him, and we'll see that right away in part 1." says Kramer.

We also revisit classic stories that Kramer has drawn, like the Black Reign arc in JSA that explored the hero/villain dichotomy of Black Adam. "He's the anti-hero, a Superman, with Punisher's mentality. A lot of fans can understand his motivations and sympathize with his point of view, that's what makes the best kind of villain."


And Detective #826,Slay Ride, featuring the solo story of The Joker holding Robin (Tim Drake) bound, gagged and at gunpoint, as they drive through Gotham in a Black SUV. Two characters, one setting. "When I got the script I read it,  and became giddy. I just made sure I didn't screw it up. Seriously, I'm very proud of my work on that particular story."

From January 2006 A real pleasure talking to the man who co-created Nexus with Steve Rude, no to mention The Badger, the post crisis Wally West-Flash stories for DC,and over 5 years of The Punisher for Marvel. Mike indulges my walk with him down memory lane, plus talks about  The Night Club from Image and The Hook from Big Head Press.

On This edition of the Word Balloon Podcast, host catches up with writer Chuck Dixon, who despite his sudden release last month from DC has plenty of new projects in current and future release.

We talk about his deal with Cartoon Network, which has green lit production of a live action film adaptation of his IDW creator owned teen time traveler story, The Vanishers.

We also discuss the current Wildstorm series Storming Paradise with artist Butch Guice . This alternate WW2 epic answers the question "What if the atomic bomb failed , and the Allied Forces had to invade Japan ?

In a lighter WW2 vein, Chuck also talks  about Abe Simpson and his Fighting Hellfish who star in his latest effort for The Simpson's Comic Book, with art chores by Dan Spiegel.

Today a conversation with Eisner nominated artst Dean Haspeil.  You may know Dean from his many collaborations with Harvey Pekar on his series American splendor and their

Original graphic novel, the quitter. But he also does his share of mainstream hero stories, like a new X-Men First Class story for their Halloween issue with Jeff Parker.

 

 Dean is up for Billy Dogma : Immortal in the "best digital comic comic" Eisner award category. He’s also in the middle of a new BD story,  Fear My Dear available at the act i vate website.

Plus there’s a few more Haspiel digital projects underway . At Zuda Comics website, Dean has just started his series Street Code. At Smith Magazine online,  Haspiel contributes and edits a new series called Next Door Neighbor Stories, with contributions from folks like Harvey Pekar Rick Veitch, and Jonathon Ames.

 

In September Dean and Jonathon release the OGN, The Alchohoic from Vertigo, and a children’s project Mo and Jo Fighting Together Forever a collaboration with underground comics legend Jay Liynch for Raw Jr’s Toon Books.

You can find the stoires at the following urls....

Billy Dogma Immortal

http://www.act-i-vate.com/21.comic

Billy Dogma Fear My Dear

http://www.act-i-vate.com/22.comic

Street Code 

http://www.zudacomics.com/street_code

Next Door Neighbors  

http://www.smithmag.net/nextdoorneighbor/

Mo and Jo Fighting Together Forever

http://www.toon-books.com/book_mojo_about.php

From 2005 This conversation with Dark Horse Editor Diana Schutz, illustrates the kind of big deals announced and sometimes made in the wee hours of the san diego comicon.

Schutz tells the behind the scenes story of how DH secured the rights to Micheal Chabon's creation The Escapist , first seen in his pulitzer prize winning novel about the golden age of comics, THE AMAZAING ADVENTURES OF KAVELIER AND CLAY.

We also cover her work editing such masters as Stan Sakai, Jeff Smith and Harlan Ellison. Plus we look at her work with Frank Miller and Will Eisner, including the conversation novel Eisner Miller .

A Flashback episode from 2006. Kurt Busiek talked about his plans to reboot Aquaman, his "Up Up and Away" Superman post Infinite Crisis arc co-written with Geoff Johns, his Wildstorm WW1 fantasy series Arrowsmith, and gets into the nitty gritty of Astro City