Comic Book Couples Counseling Podcast Brad & Lisa Gullickson

Peanut butter and chocolate. Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev. Two great tastes that taste great together. Whether you first encountered their delicious collaboration through Daredevil, Moon Knight, Scarlet, or whatever, once experienced, you must gorge on the rest. And it's an event - an emergency feast - whenever they reunite.
Hitting shops on December 13th, Masterpiece from Dark Horse Comics is the next irresistible banquet from Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev. In the solicits, you can see a few hallmarks you've come to expect from the two. However, we've read the first issue, and we assure you that this new crime series allows them to play in ways you haven't seen them do before. Bendis back at the drawing table? Yuuuup.
Emma is a smart cookie. Her inventions and webcomics have paid her way through the fanciest schools. The sixteen-year-old seems like she's got it all figured out. Until a shady billionaire darkens her doorway, telling tales about her supposedly world-famous master criminal parents. Now, Emma has to put a squad together, uncover her genetic origins, and navigate a rich jerkwad's vengeance scheme.
On this week's episode, we chat with Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev about their long-lasting friendship and how it has fed their creative partnership and vice versa. We discuss what makes a Bendis/Maleev joint, their secret and not-so-secret Todd McFarlane origins, and how both had to adjust their working habits to aid the other. And we dig deep into Masterpiece and how it was born from generational tension. Are JNCO jeans really back???
Keep up to date on all things Brian Michael Bendis by subscribing to his Substack. You can also track him down via Twitter, Instagram, and his Website.
Do the same for Alex Maleev by following his Website, Twitter, and Instagram.
As always, Omnibus, the Digital Comic Store and Reader, sponsors our Referrals segment. This week, we selected two comic book titles on the site that satisfy this episode's themes. We won't spoil what they are here, but if you click the links below, you'll be immediately escorted to the books.

Brad's Referral


Lisa's Referral

Also, listen to Bendis' previous appearance on Comic Book Couples Counseling, discussing Phenomena Book One alongside André Lima Araújo.
Other Relevant Links:

Support Jesse Tapia II's GoFundMe Campaign


Our Comic Book Holiday Gift Guide

Final Round of Plugs (PHEW)
Now Open - the CBCC Digital Shop!
Support the Podcast by Joining OUR PATREON COMMUNITY
Join us at the Alamo Drafthouse in Winchester, Virginia on 12/3 at 4:00 PM for our Flash Gordon screening, co-hosted by Psycho Cinema, co-sponsored by Four Color Fantasies, and benefitting The Museum of the Shenandoah Valley.
Don't forget! Watch the latest episode of The B&B Show, where Brad and Bryan Review the Hottest Cinematic Releases.
And, of course, follow Comic Book Couples Counseling on Facebook, on Instagram, and on Twitter @CBCCPodcast, and you can follow hosts Brad Gullickson @MouthDork & Lisa Gullickson @sidewalksiren.
Send us your Words of Affirmation by leaving us a 5-star Review on Apple Podcasts.
Continue your conversation with CBCC by hopping over to our website where we have reviews, essays, and numerous interviews with comic book creators.
Podcast logo by Aaron Prescott @acoolhandfluke, podcast banner art by @Karen_XmenFan.

We invite Tom Taylor onto the show this week to discuss all the tasty relationship dynamics he's been exploring with the Titans ongoing series and why it's taken decades for these twenty-something superheroes to nab their first major DC Comics event book, Titans: Beast World. For too long, the world has relied on Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman, but their decrepit Boomer attitudes won't save the day this time. Everyone, please shut up and listen to Beast Boy.
The Titans may no longer be teenagers, but they still struggle with the generational divide. Amanda Waller carries no weapon deadlier than her rapid-fire eye rolls. And Bruce Wayne isn't much better with his brutal absolutes and dismissive hand gestures.
Is this generational battle essential to the Titans concept? Can they ever pull themselves out of the Justice League's shadow? These questions beat at the heart of our conversation with Tom Taylor, and it was a delight to explore what makes these unique DC characters so compelling. The Necrostar is a gnarly concept to tangle with, but its threat is secondary to how it affects the internal life of our beloved Titans.
Titans: Beast World #1 hits shops on November 28th. Issue five of the Titans ongoing just dropped this week. Stay abreast of all things Tom Taylor by following his Twitter and Instagram.
As always, Omnibus, the Digital Comic Store and Reader, sponsors our Referrals segment. This week, we selected two comic book titles on the site that satisfy this episode's themes. We won't spoil what they are here, but if you click the links below, you'll be immediately escorted to the books.

Brad's Referral


Lisa's Referral

Other Relevant Links:

Support Jesse Tapia II's GoFundMe Campaign


Listen to CBCC on Spec Tales


Purchase Your Copy of Ba^m^n: Year Wha?!

Final Round of Plugs (PHEW)
Now Open - the CBCC Digital Shop!
Support the Podcast by Joining OUR PATREON COMMUNITY
Join us at the Alamo Drafthouse in Winchester, Virginia on 12/3 at 4:00 PM for our Flash Gordon screening, co-hosted by Psycho Cinema, co-sponsored by Four Color Fantasies, and benefitting The Museum of the Shenandoah Valley.
Don't forget! Watch the latest episode of The B&B Show, where Brad and Bryan Review the Hottest Cinematic Releases.
And, of course, follow Comic Book Couples Counseling on Facebook, on Instagram, and on Twitter @CBCCPodcast, and you can follow hosts Brad Gullickson @MouthDork & Lisa Gullickson @sidewalksiren.
Send us your Words of Affirmation by leaving us a 5-star Review on Apple Podcasts.
Continue your conversation with CBCC by hopping over to our website where we have reviews, essays, and numerous interviews with comic book creators.
Podcast logo by Aaron Prescott @acoolhandfluke, podcast banner art by @Karen_XmenFan.

Dedicated to Jesse Tapia II. "What are you picking up today?"
At some point, we all meet Captain Nemo. He's an icon: a literary legend, a Disney villain, and a comic book mainstay. As with Batman, Superman, or any other decades-old character, you probably have your favorite interpretation. Thanks to Juni Ba, there's a new version loose on the planet, and he may very well be our favorite one so far. That's a bold proclamation, but it's Ba, so hyperbole usually quickly transitions into stone-cold reality.
Mobilis: My Life with Captian Nemo, published by TKO Presents, is a coffee-table-sized masterpiece that slaps ya in the face with nearly every page turn. One day, a young girl named Arona awakens aboard the Nautilus. She's greeted by a chipper, morally-centered robot and told the planet she once knew is destroyed and to stay away from the captain. Also, they have cookies.
Juni Ba takes his lifelong passion for Nemo and Peter Pan and slathers it atop our environmental crisis with a heavy dose of anxiety, concern, and beauty. We've lost the world, but maybe the one that comes after is not so bad for those who inherit it. Change is change; removed from our perspective, it's not good or bad.
The cartoonist returns to Comic Book Couples Counseling to discuss his Nemo obsession, the panic that birthed Mobilis, and what it's like to drop this graphic novel chunk during the same month as his other glorious creation, The Unlikely Story of Felix and Macabber, co-created with Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou and published by Dark Horse Comics. He also grills us on what the book says about humanity. The conversation is a dream come true for Lisa, certainly.
As always, Omnibus, the Digital Comic Store and Reader, sponsors our Referrals segment. This week, we selected two comic book titles on the site that satisfy this episode's themes. We won't spoil what they are here, but if you click the links below, you'll be immediately escorted to the books.

Brad's Referral


Lisa's Referral

Keep up to date on all things Juni Ba by visiting his Instagram and Twitter. Both Mobilis: My Life with Nemo and The Unlikely Story of Felix and Macabber are now available wherever rad comic books are sold.
Also, CLICK HERE and listen to Juni Ba's previous CBCC guest appearance, talking about Djeliya. 
Other Relevant Links:
Support Jesse Tapia II's GoFundMe Campaign
Listen to CBCC on Spec Tales
Purchase Your Copy of Ba^m^n: Year Wha?!
Final Round of Plugs (PHEW)
Now Open - the CBCC Digital Shop!
Support the Podcast by Joining OUR PATREON COMMUNITY!
Join us at the Alamo Drafthouse in Winchester, Virginia on 12/3 at 4:00 PM for our Flash Gordon screening, co-hosted by Psycho Cinema, co-sponsored by Four Color Fantasies, and benefitting The Museum of the Shenandoah Valley.
Don't forget! Watch the latest episode of The B&B Show, where Brad and Bryan Review the Hottest Cinematic Releases.
And, of course, follow Comic Book Couples Counseling on Facebook, on Instagram, and on Twitter @CBCCPodcast, and you can follow hosts Brad Gullickson @MouthDork & Lisa Gullickson @sidewalksiren.
Send us your Words of Affirmation by leaving us a 5-star Review on Apple Podcasts.
Continue your conversation with CBCC by hopping over to our website where we have reviews, essays, and numerous interviews with comic book creators.
Podcast logo by Aaron Prescott @acoolhandfluke, podcast banner art by @Karen_XmenFan.

At five years old, Jeff Smith brought Fone Bone to life. Immediately enthralled by the characters of Walt Kelly, Charles M. Schulz, Walt Disney, and others, the kid desperately sought to contribute his own creation. While most abandon their childhood ideas, Smith carried Fone Bone into his teenage years, college life, and adulthood. Why?
The question rests at the core of this week's episode. We chat with Jeff Smith about his nearly lifelong relationship with Fone Bone and how it evolved from a cartooning challenge into an elaborate comic strip for his college paper and then radically expanded into the bestselling Bone saga. Even after concluding that twelve-year journey, Smith can't shake Fone Bone and his cousins.
Scholastic's Graphix recently published Bone: More Tall Tales, an anthology jammed with Smith's peers (Tom Sniegoski, Stan Sakai, Katie Cook, Matt Smith, and Scott Brown), all giving their spin on the Bone universe. Especially noteworthy, Jeff Smith and Cartoon Books have launched a new Kickstarter, gathering the early stories that would ultimately shape Bone - Thorn: The Complete Proto-Bone College Strips from 1982 to 1986 and Other Early Drawings. 
Whatever glimpses we've previously seen of these Proto-Bone strips were brief and relatively limited. Having the chance to read them offers tremendous insight into our Bone obsession and into the artist that birthed it. Here is a Rosetta Stone of sorts.
Some cartoonists might shiver at the thought of their readers encountering such early attempts, but Jeff Smith embraces the opportunity. As some might be aware, he recently suffered a debilitating heart attack. He's in a reflective state, and Smith looks upon his early work with a new perspective and consideration. And he's more than happy to share it with us.
The new Thorn Kickstarter is an essential read for fans of Bone, and we believe this conversation with Jeff Smith is equally so. Join us as we travel back to the early days when a kid found himself in a cartoon and dragged that doodle through adolescence and into the various weird stages adulthood also offers.
As always, Omnibus, the Digital Comic Store and Reader, sponsors our Referrals segment. This week, we selected two comic book titles on the app that satisfy this episode's themes. We won't spoil what they are here, but if you click the links below, you'll be immediately escorted to the books.

Brad's Referral


Lisa's Referral

Keep up to date on all things Jeff Smith by visiting his Website, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Find the Thorn: The Complete Proto-Bone College Strips from 1982 to 1986 and Other Early Drawings on Kickstarter. 
Listen to our previous Jeff Smith conversation, discussing Tuki: Fight for Fire and Tuki: Fight for Family.
Final Round of Plugs (PHEW)

Now Open - the CBCC Digital Shop!

Support the Podcast by Joining OUR PATREON COMMUNITY!

Join us at the Alamo Drafthouse in Winchester, Virginia on 12/3 at 4:00 PM for our Flash Gordon screening, co-hosted by Psycho Cinema, co-sponsored by Four Color Fantasies, and benefitting The Museum of the Shenandoah Valley.
Don't forget! Watch the latest episode of The B&B Show, where Brad and Bryan Review the Hottest Cinematic Releases.
And, of course, follow Comic Book Couples Counseling on Facebook, on Instagram, and on Twitter @CBCCPodcast, and you can follow hosts Brad Gullickson @MouthDork & Lisa Gullickson @sidewalksiren.
Send us your Words of Affirmation by leaving us a 5-star Review on Apple Podcasts.
Continue your conversation with CBCC by hopping over to our website where we have reviews, essays, and numerous interviews with comic book creators.
Podcast logo by Aaron Prescott @acoolhandfluke, podcast banner art by @Karen_XmenFan.

We've wanted to have this conversation with Chris Samnee and Laura Samnee from the moment we read the first issue of Jonna and the Unpossible Monsters. Sure, we've had them on before talking about their beautiful comic celebrating sibling relationships, but we only had half the story. Now the comic is complete and contained in a gorgeously crafted new Deluxe Edition hardcover from Oni Press, and we can go full-spoilers, friends. Don't press play unless you're ready for a proper Comic Book Couples Counseling excavation.
What is your responsibility to your siblings? Is the bond between you as sacred as we're raised to believe? Jonna and the Unpossible Monsters presents a world as terrifying as it is often hopeful. Trapped atop it are sisters Rainbow and Jonna, diametrically opposed in most aspects but bound together through familial obligation. And love, maybe?
The comic represents a decade of Chris and Laura's life. We explore their earliest memories of Jonna and the Unpossible Monsters and how doodles in 2014 grew into their most personal work. It's a love letter to their children and a narrative that might never be topped, even if they have a few other ideas rattling around their imagination.
As always, Omnibus, the Digital Comic Store and Reader, sponsors our Referrals segment. This week, we selected two comic book titles that satisfy this episode's themes. We won't spoil what they are here, but if you jump to the Omnibus digital shop, you'll find them readily available there.
Stay up to date on all Samnee family projects via their socials. Follow Chris Samnee on his Website, Twitter, and Instagram. Follow Laura Samnee on her Instagram. Purchase the limited slipcase hardcover edition of Jonna and the Unpossible Monsters on the Oni Press website.
Other Relevant Links:
The Samnees on CBCC (First Appearance)
Marvelocity: The Art of Alex Ross
Final Round of Plugs (PHEW)
 
Now Open - the CBCC Digital Shop! 
 
Support the Podcast by Joining OUR PATREON COMMUNITY!
 
Join us at the Alamo Drafthouse in Winchester, Virginia on 11/5 at 4:00 PM for our History of Violence screening, co-sponsored by Four Color Fantasies. Get your Flash Gordon tickets for our 12/3 screening.
Don't forget! Watch the latest episode of The B&B Show, where Brad and Bryan Review the Hottest Cinematic Releases.
And, of course, follow Comic Book Couples Counseling on Facebook, on Instagram, and on Twitter @CBCCPodcast, and you can follow hosts Brad Gullickson @MouthDork & Lisa Gullickson @sidewalksiren.
Send us your Words of Affirmation by leaving us a 5-star Review on Apple Podcasts.
Continue your conversation with CBCC by hopping over to our website where we have reviews, essays, and numerous interviews with comic book creators.
Podcast logo by Aaron Prescott @acoolhandfluke, podcast banner art by @Karen_XmenFan.

This week's episode has all the toppings. Kevin Eastman, Jeff Rowe, Tom Waltz, Gavin Smith, Vincenzo Federici, Sarah Myer, Ben Bishop, Esau Escorza, and Isaac Escorza. If you're a shellhead, you're already flipping out. If you're not, you soon will be.
There is no better time to be a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fan. No matter your favorite iteration, there is a comic, cartoon, or movie for you. Brought forth from the sewers nearly forty years ago by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman, the Ninja Turtles have since been filtered through numerous creative minds. From the moment the first toy was conceived, reinvention became critical to their success, and with each new interpretation, something radical was injected into their DNA.
Currently, we have a new movie (TMNT: Mutant Mayhem) streaming on Paramount+, the monthly ongoing IDW series, the Saturday Morning Adventures spin-off, and several gnarly crossovers, including encounters with Stranger Things and Street Fighter. In February, The Last Ronin II: Re-Evolution will hit comic book shops, satisfying a ravenous craving we've been holding onto since the first bestselling series dropped. 
We transformed New York Comic-Con into a TMNT expedition. First, we spoke with Kevin Eastman one-on-one, navigating his experience with outside creative influence and exploring exactly how he felt about the changes and additions made to the lore in TMNT: Mutant Mayhem. Second, we moderated the big Saturday panel, "TMNT: The Next Mutation of Turtle Power from IDW Publishing," which featured all the totally tubular people listed in the first paragraph above. 
Today's episode gets into everything that's cooking over at IDW, from exclusive details about The Last Ronin II to Sophie Campbell's historic climax on the main IDW line to director Jeff Rowe's dreams for a Mutant Mayhem sequel. We've discussed the Ninja Turtles several times before (see the links below), and it's all been building toward this episode.
As always, Omnibus, the Digital Comic Store and Reader, sponsors our Referrals segment. This week, we selected two comic book titles on the app that satisfy this episode's themes. We won't spoil what they are here, but if you click the links below, you'll be immediately escorted to the books.

Brad's Referral


Lisa's Referral

Keep up to date on all things Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles by visiting the IDW Publishing page. And track all the creators through the various social media channels:
Kevin Eastman (Website, Twitter, Instagram)
Jeff Rowe (Twitter, Instagram)
Tom Waltz (Twitter, Instagram)
Gavin Smith (Twitter, Instagram)
Vincenzo Federici (Twitter, Instagram) 
Sarah Myer (Website, Twitter, Instagram)
Ben Bishop (Website, Twitter, Instagram)
The Escorza Brothers (Instagram)
Other Relevant TMNT Links:
Erik Burnham on CBCC
CBCC covers TMNT
FINAL ROUND OF PLUGS (PHEW):
 
SUPPORT THE PODCAST BY JOINING OUR PATREON COMMUNITY.
Join us at the Alamo Drafthouse in Winchester, Virginia on 11/5 at 4:00 PM for our History of Violence screening, co-sponsored by Four Color Fantasies.
Don't forget! Watch the latest episode of The B&B Show, where Brad and Bryan Review the Hottest Cinematic Releases.
And, of course, follow Comic Book Couples Counseling on Facebook, on Instagram, and on Twitter @CBCCPodcast, and you can follow hosts Brad Gullickson @MouthDork & Lisa Gullickson @sidewalksiren.
Send us your Words of Affirmation by leaving us a 5-star Review on Apple Podcasts.
Continue your conversation with CBCC by hopping over to our website where we have reviews, essays, and numerous interviews with comic book creators.
Podcast logo by Aaron Prescott @acoolhandfluke, podcast banner art by @Karen_XmenFan.