Off Panel: A Comics Interview Podcast SKTCHD

ShortBox and ShortBox Comics Fair's Zainab Akhtar join the podcast this week to talk about her journey in comics, the recent closure of ShortBox, and what's next for the Comics Fair. Akhtar discuss how things have changed since ShortBox closed, the different roles of a publisher, ShortBox's evolution, the amount of work connected to it, the path to closing, how ShortBox Comics Fair came to be, the variety of comics in the Fair, Fair comics versus ShortBox comics, production value, the quarterly boxes, staying true to yourself, her love of comics, how her experiences have changed those feelings, and more.

Writer Murewa Ayodele and artist Dotun Akande joins the show to talk about their careers, collaboration, and current Oni Press series, Akogun: Brutalizer of Gods. Ayodele and Akande discuss the launch of their new book, figuring out who and what to listen to, how they became comic readers, their influences, their path to comics, computer science, print versus digital, Akande's path to becoming an artist, how Akogun came to be, their own take on gods, the oversized nature of the book, the book's structure, the variant covers, how their goals have changed, and more.

Inklore's Editorial Director Rebecca "Tay" Taylor joins the show to talk about her career and what's going on at Inklore, the imprint at Penguin Random House that's publishing manga, manhwa, manhua, webcomics, and graphic novels. Taylor discusses what editorial really is, how Inklore fits her, where things were when she started in comics, Nightwing, her path to comics, previous roles in comics, editing single issues versus graphic novels, what Inklore is, its audience, the global aspect of her job, how Lore Olympus fits, where she finds new projects, vertical scroll to print, connecting with comic markets, the convention world, and more.

Cartoonist Katie Cook joins the show to talk about her career and her recently released graphic novel, Nothing Special Vol. 1: Through the Elder Woods. Cook discusses recent challenges, her early comics, the importance of newspaper comics, the art school experience, the environment when her career started, the origins of Gronk, My Little Pony's impact on her career, how her career evolved, Nothing Special's origins, getting used to the Webtoon format, how she works, converting it to print, telling your own stories, her love of Star Wars, how the job of making comics has evolved, what has her excited, and more.

Writer Kieron Gillen returns to the show to talk about the end of his time at Marvel and the beginning of the next creator-owned phase of his career. Gillen discusses finishing his Marvel run, the language of comics, how he's changed over this stretch, ending a story he didn't start, closing Krakoa out, the data pages, favorites and challenges from his time at Marvel, the X-Office, the con experience, The Power Fantasy's arrival, responding to your collaborators, research, pop comics, what he's most excited about next, and more.

IDW's Special Projects Editor Scott Dunbier joins the show to talk about his career and his work on the Artist's Editions program. Dunbier discusses the upcoming Batman: Year One Artist's Edition, the story behind the Artist's Edition, his time as an original art dealer, his path to WildStorm, his role there, that stretch at WildStorm, the origins of DC's Absolute Editions, his role at IDW, the first years of the Artist's Edition program, how he decides what to feature, digital art's impact, assembling the books, complicated projects, how much art he really has, and more.