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Off Panel: A Comics Interview Podcast

Off Panel is a weekly interview podcast where host David Harper welcomes guests from comics and beyond to discuss the stories behind what they do.
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Now displaying: 2015

A weekly comics interview show hosted by David Harper from SKTCHD that explores the stories and creators we love, as well as the broader comics industry.

Dec 29, 2015

Comic writer Michael Moreci (Roche Limit, Burning Fields) joins the show this week for a doozy of an episode, as the pair dives deep into Moreci's work, the comic industry, and...Star Wars? That's right. The pair talks about what's next for his sci-fi book Roche Limit, how film influences his writing, how to get and keep the attention of comic readers and retailers, the importance of being different in an increasingly large industry, personal branding, the struggle of quality of work versus name recognition when it comes to sales, sales vs. internet hype, why he and a bunch of collaborators made their own Star Wars comics, and then they close with a spoiler-rific discussion about Star Wars: The Force Awakens. It's a big talk, but an entertaining and interesting one.

Dec 22, 2015

Andrew WK, the musician and King of Partying, is this week's guest on Off Panel as he joins to talk comics, music and fandom. WK comes on and talks why comic books are his kind of party, the communal experience of comics and music, why comic conventions are such special experiences, the positivity and power of fandom, embracing your passions, what he enjoys about comics, how he keeps his passion for live music, his pursuit of joy in all things, and more. It's a shorter episode, but it's a good one.

Dec 15, 2015

David's former SKTCHD Out and <a href="http://www.multiversitycomics.com/tag/4-color-news-and-brews/" target="_blank">4 Color News & Brews</a> co-host Brandon Burpee joins Off Panel this week to go proper fanboy and discuss the year in comics from their perspectives. While they kick things off with a very brief discussion about their thoughts on the X-Men Apocalypse trailer and how they're feeling right before Star Wars: The Force Awakens drops, the pair talks about where comics are in 2015, what Marvel and DC got right and wrong this year, how rising prices are impacting them, what they'd change in comics, what the biggest "HELL YES!" moment was in 2015, who their Most Valuable Creators were, what's been overhyped and underhyped, how their own reading habits have changed, and then they close with a discussion about their ten favorite comics of the year. It's a longer than usual episode, but for those listeners who've been wanting things to get a little bit more into the fan side of things on occasion, this is for you.

Dec 9, 2015

Shannon Watters - Editor at BOOM! Studios, heads of KaBOOM! and BOOM! Box, and co-writer/co-creator of Lumberjanes - joins the show to talk about her varying roles and what she looks for in comics. The conversation's a sprawling one, and leads to discussion about all kinds of subjects, including the importance in casting on her books, how much she reads for her job (and in life), the power of characters, the tone and sensibilities of the books she works on, the importance of aspirational characters, the truth of Katniss Everdeen, positive representation in comics, how they make Lumberjanes work, why she loves making comics for people of all ages, and much, much more. It's a great and random conversation, and one that is very interesting for comic fans of all varieties.

Dec 2, 2015

Jim Demonakos, the founder of Seattle's Emerald City ComiCon and the Director of Comic Talent at ReedPop, joins the show this week to talk all things cons. Demonakos takes us back to how ECCC first got started, how it's grown, the deal they made with ReedPop, how that relationship is (or isn't) changing ECCC going forward, how he works to keep conventions comic focused, dealing with the backlash to ECCC's growth, the future of cons, and much more. It's a big discussion on a subject not often talked about, and the seasoned vet of the con game gives great insight into that world.

Nov 25, 2015

The Beat's Heidi MacDonald guests on this week's episode of Off Panel, as she talks with David about her career as a comics journalist and beyond. They talk about how things have changed over her thirty years in the industry, the stigma surrounding comics, comics culture, her goals for The Beat, the state of things in internet and comics journalism, leading for the writers of tomorrow, and what has her the most excited about the future of comics. It's a great chat with one of the savviest people in the comic industry today.

Nov 18, 2015

Colorist Matt Wilson guests on this week's episode of Off Panel, as he joins David to talk the art of coloring comic. The pair talks the role of a colorist in a comic, how he works, what drives his choices, how he collaborates with his partners, what he does while he works, the increased visibility of colorists in today's industry, how his experience differs from project to project, the role of colorists as a tastemaker, the power of flatters, and much more.

Nov 11, 2015

Designer Tom Muller guests on this week's episode of Off Panel to talk the evolution of comic design. The pair talks Muller's background, how his role plays out on both creator-owned comics and on for-hire jobs, how comic design has grown in importance, the difference between creating covers himself and working with an artist, creating a holistic feel to a comic, the designers he enjoys, and much more. It's a chat that gives a lot of insight into the rarely looked at world of comic design, but beware, we had a little bit of a problem with Alaska's internet this week. There are some slight technical difficulties here.

Nov 4, 2015

Jim Zub joins Off Panel to talk the business of comics and his work on Wayward at Image Comics. Zub talks about the blogs he has put together about his work, career and financials successes, managing your brand online, how interacting with retailers has impacted his books, some of the tinkering he's done to develop the audience for his book Skullkickers, his teaching job, his collaborators on Wayward, where the book is going next, and a whole lot more. It's a really insightful chat about not just creating comics, but finding an audience for them once you do.

Oct 28, 2015

Writer Joe Kelly is the guest in this week's episode of Off Panel, and he joins the show to talk about his career in the past, present and future. We talk about how his animation work with Man of Action has changed his approach to comics, why he keeps coming back to them, the emotional appeal of I Kill Giants, the upcoming film adaptation of that comic, returning to Deadpool, what makes that character so very popular, his artistic partners, the resurrection of Four Eyes, and a whole lot more. It's a fantastic conversation with one of the real gems in comics.

Oct 21, 2015

The artist of Paper Girls, Cliff Chiang, joins the show to talk about collaborating with Brian K. Vaughan, Matt Wilson and Jared K. Fletcher on the new hit Image title. Chiang shares his thoughts on bringing the era of the book to life, what he did to research it, what working with the team is like, how his past work in editorial has helped him be a better artist, the creative freedom of creator-owned, covers, and much more.

Oct 14, 2015

Corey Murphy, the Director of Sales at Image Comics, is this week's guest on Off Panel, and she joins the show to talk her role at Image, how her experience as the general manager of Laughing Ogre Comics prepared her for the role, the importance of retailer outreach, clarification on the recent changes Image made in relation to variant covers, how form impacts approach, how Image stands out with retailers amidst increasing competition, and much more.

It's a great listen for those interested in how one of the bigger publishers in comics works behind the scenes, with great insight from Murphy on her role.

Oct 7, 2015

On this week's episode of Off Panel, we have a special episode for our dear listeners as the show welcomes two guests for the price of one. Artists Tana Ford and Sean Murphy join the show this week with David acting more as a moderator, and the discussion focuses on the changing landscape in comics for women creators. The trio talk representation for women, LGBT creators and people of color, cheesecake art, empowering female creators, the importance of seeing yourself in fiction, invisible backpacks, whether women in comics panels are a good thing, comic book fandom, the importance of listening, appropriate behavior at cons, and more.

It's a sprawling conversation, and one Off Panel was more than happy to host.

Sep 29, 2015

On this week's episode of Off Panel, David welcomes Oni Press Editor-in-Chief James Lucas Jones to the show to talk about the world of Oni. Jones talks about what his role includes, the books Oni looks for, how they tackle retailer outreach, diversity in all senses of the word, their open submission efforts they made earlier in the year, and much more. They close with a little talk about the NBA and Jones's beloved Portland Trailblazers, as well as a little talk about an NBA star's connection to a book Oni published.

Sep 22, 2015

On this week's episode of Off Panel, things take a turn in a different direction as David welcomes Grantland's Jason Concepcion to the show to talk comics and basketball. The pair discuss how Concepcion first got into comics, what he's currently reading, Jonathan Hickman, Rob Liefeld, why there's such an overlap between hoops and comic fandoms, and then jump into an NBA season preview done Off Panel style. That means they discuss their five League Pass picks for the season and then attempt to figure out who the comic character equivalent is to ten of the NBA's most interesting people are. Not an NBA fan? There's still plenty to love here, anyways.

Sep 15, 2015

On this week's episode of Off Panel, David welcomes the great John Arcudi, writer of Rumble at Image Comics and B.P.R.D. at Dark Horse Comics. Arcudi joins the show to talk Rumble, why he left B.P.R.D., the greatness of James Harren, how to make comic collaborations not just work but shine, creator-owned comics, Rumble's path to being published, genres and heroes, Raul Mondesi, and much, much more. It's a great conversation with a fantastic writer with tons of insight into the craft of comics.

Sep 8, 2015

On this week's Off Panel, David digs into the lesser talked about world of editors with freelance editor to the stars Sebastian Girner. He's the man who edits books like Deadly Class, Southern Bastards and Drifter, and they talk about what his role entails, how he impacts books, whether or not he can live entirely off that work, managing the chaos, the shift of focus to creator-owned cmics, his time at Marvel, continuity, fan ownership, and much more. It's really excellent insight into what comic editors really do, and recommended listening for both readers and creators.

Sep 1, 2015

On this week's Off Panel, David talks with the cartoonist behind the upcoming I Hate Fairyland, Skottie Young, about his first foray into creator-owned comics with his new Image book. They talk about how the book came together, his affinity for Image Comics, the quality of 90's comics, the impact Marvel had on him, humor in comics, the influence of music on his work, cultural attitudes towards media, and much more.

Aug 25, 2015

On this week's Off Panel, David welcomes the artist of the upcoming Plutona, Emi Lenox, to the show to talk her upcoming Image Comics book with writer Jeff Lemire. Emi's got a lot going on, though, and they cover everything, from her upcoming graphic novel Tadaima at Image, the experience that led to creating that book, her diary comic Emitown, Final Fantasy, her Patreon, haunted houses, the alphabet, and much, much more.

Aug 18, 2015

On this week's Off Panel, David welcomes Invincible Iron Man's artist David Marquez to the show to talk launching the future of Marvel in his big book with writer Brian Michael Bendis. It's not just that, though, as Marquez talks the evolution of his art, how digital tools changed everything for him, how digital is perceived by fans, visual storytelling, designing in comics, and much more. It's a pretty deep talk on both his work on Iron Man and his thoughts on art in general.

Aug 11, 2015

On this week's episode of Off Panel from SKTCHD.com, David is joined by Rob Guillory, the artist of the Eisner and Harvey Award winning comic series Chew. Rob joins the show to talk his new website, the advantages of having a strong web presence and running your own store, his art process, what it's like nearing the end of his long-running series and working with John Layman, beefcake Kirkman, his favorite character, and a lot more. As per usual, it's a sprawling conversation that should be of interest to both fans of Chew and creators looking for insight from one of the best.

Aug 5, 2015

On this week's episode of Off Panel from SKTCHD.com, David welcomes writer Joe Keatinge of Shutter fame and the upcoming Ringside. Joe joins the show this week to talk about the economics of the creator-owned model, what creators can get from working in a comic shop, making comics work for you, the distribution system, social media, art vs. commerce, the evolution and development of comics, and a lot, lot more. If it sounds like it's a sprawling conversation, that's because it is. But it's a very interesting and tangent filled conversation with a great creator that touches on all things comic books.

Jul 28, 2015

On this week's episode of Off Panel from SKTCHD.com, David welcomes Archie Comics' Senior Vice President of Publicity and Marketing, Alex Segura, who also happens to be the Editor of the Dark Circle Comics line AND an accomplished writer of novels and comics. Segura joins the show to talk the big changes at Archie, what pushed them down that path, the power of a great creative team, Chip Zdarsky and whether or not he actually is Jughead, the surreal nature of seeing his name on Pitchfork, how to market comics in 2015, and much more.

Jul 21, 2015

On this week's episode of Off Panel, David welcomes Patrick Brower, co-owner of the Eisner winning comic shop Challengers Comics + Conversation in Chicago. Patrick joins the show to talk about all things retail, how he and business partner W. Dal Bush started the shop, the plusses and minuses of being a retailer, how his team approaches sales, diversity, the power of Raina Telgemeier, and much more. This is a fitting pair with our longform piece on a recent retailer survey we did, and if you're a creator or someone interested in the comic industry, there's a lot to dig into here.

Jul 15, 2015

In this week's episode of SKTCHD.com's weekly creator-centric podcast Off Panel, David goes near Chris Farley Show in talking with Nonplayer creator Nate Simpson. Nate joins the show to talk about his book at Image, the immense detail he puts into each page, his process, wrestling with putting out the best product he can, getting details right, and because I am sure you're wondering, the story behind the delays on the book. There's a lot more talked about in this sprawling conversation, so take a listen, and we hope you enjoy it.

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