We talk with Kevin Eastman, co-creator of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, about his new crowdfunded comic project, Drawing Blood. The darkly comedic drama follows a down-on-his-luck cartoonist whose life is in a tailspin after early mega success. Drawing Blood explores the darkest corners of a mad world only talked about in the hotel bars of Comic Con. Kevin talks about how this new project came together, the continued joys of working on the TMNT franchise, and how he himself is just as big a fan of toys and collectibles as the fans he creates them for.
Rachael Stott, Doctor Who Comics Artist
Rachael Stott is a comic book artist, currently doing covers and interior art for the official Doctor Who series published by Titan Comics, which follows Peter Capaldi’s 12th Doctor. And while she’s only been a professional comic artist for about two years, she’s already racked up an impressive resume. She drew the Star Trek/Planet of the Apes crossover series for IDW. She did covers for the licensed Assassin’s Creed and Heroes comics, and covers for Archie. She provided covers for the Green Lantern / Star Trek crossover series, as well as covers and interiors for Ghostbusters International. And she won the 2015 British Comics Award for Best Newcomer.
Karen Berger, Vertigo Comics Founder & Surgeon X Editor
Legendary comics editor Karen Berger talks with us about her new project at Image Comics, Surgeon X, with writer Sara Kenney and artist John Watkiss. We also talk about her work at Vertigo, the creator-driven, mature-readers publishing imprint she founded at DC Comics.
Rob Kutner, Comedy Writer for CONAN; Creator of “Runaway Brains” and “Shrinkage”
We have a really fun chat with comedy writer Rob Kutner. He’s a monologue writer for TBS late night show CONAN, and also has five Primetime Emmy’s for his work on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Recently, Rob released a new audio mini-series called Runaway Brains, available exclusively on subscription-based podcast service Howl.FM. It’s a madcap comedic romp starring “Weird Al” Yankovic, Mayim Bialik, Michael Ian Black, Dave Koechner, and Ken Jennings. Rob has also partnered with Farrago Comics to produce the original series, Shrinkage, illustrated by John Lucas. Farrago Comics is a new free-to-read, ad-supported comics app, available now on Apple and Android devices. We talk with Rob about his career writing for TV, and how he broke into the late-night comedy business. We also discuss branching out into different media, exploring new distribution models, and how he attracted big names to indie projects.
How to be a Nerd for a Living from Emerald City Comicon 2016
This episode was recorded live earlier this year at Emerald City Comicon in Seattle, WA. Our Wendy Buske moderated this panel, titled How to Be a Nerd For A Living: Discovering Careers in Pop-Culture. It features a collection of great nerdy professionals, including Dane Ault, artist and co-founder of Monkey Minion Press; Samantha Kalman, creator of the video game Sentris, and previously one of the team-members behind video game engine Unity; Kevin Konrad Hanna, a film director and comic creator who was also the art director on Plants versus Zombies: Heroes; Janet Lee, comic artist and Eisner award-winning co-creator of The Return of the Dapper Men; and Jaimie Cordero, co-founder and CEO of nerd makeup company Espionage Cosmetics. Our speakers pull from a wide variety of professional and personal backgrounds to discuss how they got started, the ongoing challenges they face, and the successes that keep them going.
Brandon Easton, Agent Carter Screenwriter and M.A.S.K. Comic Writer
Adron talks with screenwriter and award-winning comic creator Brandon Easton. Brandon was a staff writer on the second season of Marvel’s Agent Carter on ABC. He’s also written for animated TV shows Thundercats and Transformers: Rescue Bots. His biographical comic Andre The Giant: Closer To Heaven was a 2015 critical darling, and IDW Comics just released his Transformers: Deviations one-shot. IDW also recently announced that Brandon will be the writer on their upcoming M.A.S.K. series, rebooting the beloved Hasbro 1980s toy and cartoon franchise. We explore Brandon’s journey from school teacher to professional screenwriter, navigating the turbulent world of Hollywood staffing season, and working on life-long beloved properties.
Nerd for a Living Panel, Live at Wizard World St. Louis 2016
Recorded live at Wizard World Comic-Con St. Louis 2016, Nerd For A Living’s Adron Buske moderates our panel, “How to Be a Nerd For A Living: Finding Your Career in Pop Culture”. Our guests speakers include best-selling author Ellie Ann, Doctor Who comic artist Rachael Stott, video game creator and studio co-founder Carol Mertz, and Eisner Award-winning comic book artist Rick Burchett.
Jim Zub, Comics Writer of Wayward, Thunderbolts, and Dungeons & Dragons
Jim Zub is a Canadian comic book writer best known for his creator-owned series at Image Comics, Skullkickers and Wayward. This spring, Jim has two new comic series hitting shelves – Thunderbolts for Marvel, and Dungeons & Dragons: Shadows of the Vampire for IDW. Jim is also the program director for Seneca College‘s award-winning animation program in Toronto.
Otis Frampton – Creator, “Oddly Normal”; Background Artist, “How It Should Have Ended”
We talk with Otis Frampton, writer/artist/creator of the Image Comics all-ages series “Oddly Normal”. Otis is also the background artist for the massively popular YouTube animated parody series, “How It Should Have Ended”.
Marlene Bonnelly, Editor-in-Chief of Comics.Tumblr.com
In this episode Wendy and Adron talk with Marlene Bonnelly, the editor and chief of Comics.Tumblr.com. She also works in Tumblr’s legal department, and is a content creator and YouTube partner. Marlene has worked for Marvel, MTV, and Wizard World, and is known across social media channels by her handle @ilikecomicstoo. She’s an advocate for diversity and anti-harassment in media, and has done panels at SDCC and NYCC discussing both. During this conversation, Marlene shares some valuable tips for how creators can best use Tumblr’s attributions, and how users can get help from Tumblr’s team when your work starts being shared without credit.