Building a better bloodbath: James Tynion IV on 'Exquisite Corpses' and the power of collaboration episode artwork

EPISODE · May 18, 2025 · 1H 26M

Building a better bloodbath: James Tynion IV on 'Exquisite Corpses' and the power of collaboration

from AIPT Comics · host David Brooke

Visit our Patreon page to see the various tiers you can sign up for today to get in on the ground floor of AIPT Patreon. We hope to see you chatting with us on our Discord soon!NEWSSpider-Gwen gets 'Brand New Day' in new series launchMarvel reveals cover and Quesada talks 'Marvel Knights' The World to Come' #3'Marvel All-On-One' #1 anniversary one-shot coming August 2025'Imperial' gets new teaser promising spin-off one-shots, and issue 3 solicitSequel 'Cemetery Kids Run Rabid' #1 set for August releaseSkybound and Universal reteam for 'The Invisible Man'Casey Jones gets a solo seriesScott Snyder reveals new look at Bane and ‘Absolute Batman’ vol. 2 titleDC Comics solicitaitons for August!New existential horror 'Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum' coming August 20252025 Eisner Awards nominees are in!Our Top Books of the WeekDave:Absolute Batman #8 (Scott Snyder, Marcos Martin)Spider-Verse Vs. Venomverse (2025) #1 (Mat Groom, Kyle Higgins, Luciano Vecchio)Alex:​​Exquisite Corpses #1 (Tynion, Michael Walsh)All-New, All-Deadly Gwenpool #1 (Cavan Scott, Stefano Nesi)Standout KAPOW moment of the week:Alex - Doom Snikt in OOUD #4Dave - Battle Beast #1 (Robert Kirkman, Ryan Ottley)TOP BOOKS FOR NEXT WEEKAlex: The Vision & the Scarlet Witch #1 (Orlando, Lorenzo Tammetta), Absolute Flash #3 (Lemire, Robles)Dave: Into the Unbeing Part 2 #4 (Zac Thompson, Hayden Sherman)JUDGING BY THE COVER JR.Dave: The New Gods #6 (Nimit Malavia)Alex: The Ultimates #12 (Inhyuk Lee variant)Interview: James Tynion - Exquisite Corpses #1 out May 14, 20251. What drew you to the exquisite corpse method as a structural framework—and how did it shape your writing process across collaborators?2. You’ve said before that horror lets you explore personal fears in metaphorical ways—what fear sits at the heart of Exquisite Corpses for you personally?3. This project is filled with shifting tones and visual voices—how did you maintain thematic cohesion across multiple artists and chapters?4. You’ve tackled horror through multiple lenses—from psychological horror in The Nice House on the Lake to body horror in Something is Killing the Children. Where does Exquisite Corpses fall on your personal horror spectrum?5. You’ve spoken about burnout and choosing joy in your writing—did this collaborative process reawaken anything in you creatively?6. There’s a class warfare element baked into the DNA of Exquisite Corpses. How important was it for you to make that commentary explicit rather than just subtext?7. You’re known for big ideas in genre fiction. Was there ever a version of Exquisite Corpses that could’ve been a prose project or TV pitch—or was comics always the only way this could work?8. What’s one element in Exquisite Corpses—a character, twist, or scene—that you’re most excited for readers to finally experience, but can’t say anything about yet?

With Exquisite Corpses, writer James Tynion IV is taking one of the boldest creative swings of his career. Blending horror, action, and satire, the 13-issue Image Comics series launched this week. Beyond the bloodshed lies something even more ambitious: a writer’s room-style collaboration, a card game tie-in, and a deeply personal reflection on power, fear, and storytelling. We sat down with Tynion to discuss the creative chaos behind the book, the themes at its core, and why Exquisite Corpses is just the beginning. Plus, we make our picks of the week!

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Building a better bloodbath: James Tynion IV on 'Exquisite Corpses' and the power of collaboration

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hEaD Pop Rareeddie1 Formally of, At The Gates of Pop Culture, With Rareeddie1.Still the same great podcast with me, Rareeddie1. Same format, the same humour, and poking more fun at the woke entertainment industry.The ongoing battle between "woke" players, big studios, shady producers, and major corporations trying to buy pop culture influence, has turned into a culture war. On one side, there are people like us who just care about good stories, without the influence of tick-box agendas being forced upon us through films, pop culture, comics, video games, and more. On the other side, bad actors are trying to influence everything we enjoy and consume, while we just want to be entertained. As entertainers, we should be able to escape the daily grind of politics, but unfortunately, we are constantly being pushed with political agendas from the minute we wake up to the minute we go to bed. Some of us just want to enjoy a good story without any political influence, but when creators say things Explicit The Bitchuation Room Francesca Fiorentini A weekly caucus of progressive comics, activists and thinkers hosted by Francesca Fiorentini Explicit Podcasts - The Geekyest The Geekyest No topic is off limits as long as it has to do with comics, movies, TV, video games, or music. Explicit COMIC BROS Podcast Mark Wise, Jin Wicked, Root Bradford Join indie comic creators Mark Wise, Jin Wicked, and Root Bradford every month to chat about comics! Reading 'em, making 'em, conventions, business, interviews, comics news, and more! Explicit

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