EPISODE · Jul 17, 2026 · 1H 26M
Christian Ward on The Forever Home
from Comic Book Couples Counseling Podcast · host Brad & Lisa Gullickson
The grownups killed the world. To escape destruction, Henry built The Forever Home. Inside, his family enjoys existence, protected by the poisonous elements outside. One catch: their time is compressed. For every twenty minutes they live, one hour outside passes. Nothing should ever cross the threshold. Writer Christian Ward is having a moment. He’s about to launch his new artworld horror, The Patron. Event Horizon: Inferno currently rages on the stands, with the previous Event Horizon: Dark Descent premiering as a trade paperback next week at San Diego Comic-Con International. And, this fall, courtesy of Oni Press, he launches maybe his most personal and mature work yet, The Forever Home. The Forever Home is his Cocaine Bear. The premise alone should hook you, and once you crack its pages, the comic delivers on its promise. It’s always a joy to have Christian Ward on the podcast. He’s a theme-forward storyteller, and as such, the perfect Comic Book Couples Counseling guest. We get into it! First, we discuss why this year’s San Diego Comic-Con is such a critical moment in his career. We look at the road behind him and the road ahead. We talk about The Forever Home’s dystopian present, the family tragedy bubbling within, and how it confronts tribalism. The Forever Home #1 arrives in shops on September 9th. It’s written by Christian Ward, illustrated by Sammi Kivelä, colored by Jason Wordie, and lettered by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. Continue this conversation with Christian Ward by visiting his Website and following him on Blue Sky and Instagram. Other Relevant Links to This Week's Episode: Subscribe to the Comic Book Couples Counseling YouTube Channel Watch The Stacks, Comic Creators Name Their Favorite Comics Previously on CBCC: Dan Schkade on Lavender Jack Previously on CBCC: Christian Ward on Event Horizon: Inferno Comic Book Club: Spider-Man: Brand New Day at Meanwhile...Coffee in Herndon, Virginia, on 8/2 at 3:30 PM Final Round of Plugs (PHEW): Support the Podcast by Joining OUR PATREON COMMUNITY. And, of course, follow Comic Book Couples Counseling on Facebook, on Instagram, and on Bluesky @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 Jesse Lonergan and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. This Week's Sponsors The Future is Calling! 2000 AD is the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic, with new issues published every single week! Every 32-page issue of 2000 AD brings you the best in sci-fi and horror, featuring characters like Judge Dredd, Rogue Trooper, and more. Get a print subscription to 2000 AD and it’ll arrive to your mailbox every week - and your first issue is free! Or subscribe digitally, and you can download DRM-free copies of each issue for only $9 a month. That’s 128 pages of incredible comics every month for less than $10! Head to 2000AD.com and click on ‘subscribe’ now – or download the 2000 AD app and start reading today! What happens when the love of your life is buried on the other side of the country, and you’re a ghost who can’t leave your grave? That’s the beautifully haunting setup of Till Death, a new romantic horror-comedy from Michael Schwartz, Rachael Schaefer, and artist Gaia Cardinali now on Kickstarter from Clover Press! Vivian has waited decades for her husband to join her in the afterlife. But when she discovers he’s been buried across the country, she makes a deal with Mack, a man whose near-death experience allows him to see ghosts. We’ve read Till Death, and we absolutely loved it. It's a bold, original four-color romance, fitting snugly inside comics' most unsung genre. Till Death is on Kickstarter now. Visit the campaign and make your pledge today! Third Eye Comics is opening its biggest store ever: Third Eye 97, a 10,000-square-foot comic, game, and collectibles mega-store inside a former Walmart in Glen Burnie, Maryland, with the doors opening July 25th. Grand opening month goes huge with a Rob Liefeld signing at the new flagship on July 31st, the legend behind Youngblood, Deadpool, and Cable, live and in person. Can't make it to Maryland? The entire Third Eye world ships to your door at thirdeyecomics.com: new releases, back issues, games, and exclusives, sent anywhere with Third Eye Ships. See Third Eye's massive inventory while watching THE STACKS and then order those same books your favorite creators talk about online! Use codeword: STACKSORDIE for 15% off your order! The Alamo Drafthouse in Winchester, Va is not only unlike any theater in America; it’s unlike any Alamo Drafthouse. It’s a franchise. In fact, it’s the first Alamo Drafthouse location outside of Texas. On July 5th, their Film Club is celebrating America’s 250th with the 85th Anniversary of the Greatest Movie Ever Made, Citizen Kane! They’ll have an encore screening of Kane on Wednesday, July 8th, too. Film Club is great, but so is their Psycho Cinema series hosted by Faye. On July 14th, they’re screening truly one of the best bad movies of all time, Samurai Cop. Golly, have you even lived until you’ve seen Samurai Cop on the big screen? I think not. Get your tickets today!
What this episode covers
The grownups killed the world. To escape destruction, Henry built The Forever Home. Inside, his family enjoys existence, protected by the poisonous elements outside. One catch: their time is compressed. For every twenty minutes they live, one hour outside passes. Nothing should ever cross the threshold. Writer Christian Ward is having a moment. He’s about to launch his new artworld horror, The Patron. Event Horizon: Inferno currently rages on the stands, with the previous Event Horizon: Dark Descent premiering as a trade paperback next week at San Diego Comic-Con International. And, this fall, courtesy of Oni Press, he launches maybe his most personal and mature work yet, The Forever Home. The Forever Home is his Cocaine Bear. The premise alone should hook you, and once you crack its pages, the comic delivers on its promise. It’s always a joy to have Christian Ward on the podcast. He’s a theme-forward storyteller, and as such, the perfect Comic Book Couples Counseling guest. We get into it! First, we discuss why this year’s San Diego Comic-Con is such a critical moment in his career. We look at the road behind him and the road ahead. We talk about The Forever Home’s dystopian present, the family tragedy bubbling within, and how it confronts tribalism. The Forever Home #1 arrives in shops on September 9th. It’s written by Christian Ward, illustrated by Sammi Kivelä, colored by Jason Wordie, and lettered by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. Continue this conversation with Christian Ward by visiting his Website and following him on Blue Sky and Instagram. Other Relevant Links to This Week's Episode: Subscribe to the Comic Book Couples Counseling YouTube Channel Watch The Stacks, Comic Creators Name Their Favorite Comics Previously on CBCC: Dan Schkade on Lavender Jack Previously on CBCC: Christian Ward on Event Horizon: Inferno Comic Book Club: Spider-Man: Brand New Day at Meanwhile...Coffee in Herndon, Virginia, on 8/2 at 3:30 PM Final Round of Plugs (PHEW): Support the Podcast by Joining OUR PATREON COMMUNITY. And, of course, follow Comic Book Couples Counseling on Facebook, on Instagram, and on Bluesky @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 Jesse Lonergan and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. This Week's Sponsors The Future is Calling! 2000 AD is the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic, with new issues published every single week! Every 32-page issue of 2000 AD brings you the best in sci-fi and horror, featuring characters like Judge Dredd, Rogue Trooper, and more. Get a print subscription to 2000 AD and it’ll arrive to your mailbox every week - and your first issue is free! Or subscribe digitally, and you can download DRM-free copies of each issue for only $9 a month. That’s 128 pages of incredible comics every month for less than $10! Head to 2000AD.com and click on ‘subscribe’ now – or download the 2000 AD app and start reading today! What happens when the love of your life is buried on the other side of the country, and you’re a ghost who can’t leave your grave? That’s the beautifully haunting setup of Till Death, a new romantic horror-comedy from Michael Schwartz, Rachael Schaefer, and artist Gaia Cardinali now on Kickstarter from Clover Press! Vivian has waited decades for her husband to join her in the afterlife. But when she discovers he’s been buried across the country, she makes a deal with Mack, a man whose near-death experience allows him to see ghosts. We’ve read Till Death, and we absolutely loved it. It's a bold, original four-color romance, fitting snugly inside comics' most unsung genre. Till Death is on Kickstarter now. Visit the campaign and make your pledge today! Third Eye Comics is opening
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Christian Ward on The Forever Home
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