Rob Williams on 'Hidden Springs' and writing regret

On this week’s AIPT Comics Podcast, we’re joined by writer Rob Williams to talk all about Hidden Springs, his wild new series that blends retired Hollywood legends, a baby kaiju, and a desperate race against the military. It’s a fun, heartfelt conversation about building flawed characters, mixing comedy with tragedy, and why stories about second chances hit harder when everything’s on the line. 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! NEWS Marvel teases a terrifying new universe with ‘Midnight’ as the Ultimate Universe ends Marvel reveals August 2026 ‘Queen in Black’ covers as Al Ewing teases massive event scope Kevin Smith brings Spider-Man and Hulk together for a wild exorcism story Mary Jane gets 60th anniversary special one-shot for August 2026 Thor is gone and Marvel is celebrating issue #800 with a very different hero Rick Remender and Steve Epting’s ‘Hammerfist’ starts turning heads after teaser drop ‘Assorted Crisis Events’ #8 gets Javier Pulido third printing cover 'Bug Wars' returns with 'The Coming of the Wardoom' in August 2026 Stjepan Šejić returns with 'Death Vigil' #1 from Image Comics and Top Cow this August DC’s Super-Family faces Zod in massive new crossover ‘Kingdom of Zod’ 'Witchblade/Vampirella' kicks off swap crossover similar to 'Superman/Spider-Man' Our Top Books of the Week: Dave: Fantastic Four #10 (Ryan North, Humberto Ramos) Estuary #2 (David Andry & Tim Daniel, Maan House) Chris:​​ Royals #2 (Derek Kirk Kim, Jacob Perez) Daredevil #2 (Stephanie Phillips, Lee Garbett) Standout KAPOW moment of the week: Chris: MegaGhost Volume 2 #2 (Gabe Soria and Gideon Kendall) Dave: Absolute Superman #19 (Rafa Sandoval) Fantastic Four #10 (Ryan North, Humberto Ramos) TOP BOOKS FOR NEXT WEEK Chris: Destination Kill #1 (Joe Palmer) Dave: Innards #1 (Rob Guillory and Sam Lotfi) JUDGING BY THE COVER JR. Dave: Absolute Batman #20 (Skottie Young) Chris: Bleeding Hearts #4 (Juni Ba Variant) Interview: Robbie Williams - Hidden Springs - Rend and Tear and Tooth and Claw - Feature film Game 1. Hidden Springs has such a wonderfully strange premise: retired Hollywood legends protecting a baby kaiju. Where did the initial spark for this story come from, and when did you realize this was the right mix of heart, comedy, and monster chaos? 2. The cast of characters is incredibly eclectic, from a rocker reminiscent of Ozzy Osbourne to a classic Hollywood beauty, a trailblazing female director, a stand-up comedian, and a career TV star. How did you approach building such different personalities and making them feel like a believable found family? 3. Nil Vendrell Pallach is handling the art. What did Nil bring to the project visually that made them the perfect collaborator for a story that moves between comedy, nostalgia, and kaiju action? 4. There’s something inherently funny about ageing celebrities being the only ones capable of protecting a world-ending monster. What interested you about pairing the idea of aging, fading fame, and second chances with something as huge and destructive as a kaiju? 5. With all these Hollywood types, I was reminded of Caccoon, about a group of old folks who encounter an alien eggs that give them youth, with your new series on the way do you think this the old person encountering sci-fi elements is an underused corner of fiction? 6. What made dark horse the right publisher for this? 7. You’ve written everything from Judge Dredd to Petrol Head. Where does Hidden Springs sit for you creatively? Does it tap into a different storytelling muscle compared to your other work? 8. (Fun question) Your heroes include a rocker, a comedian, a movie star, and a legendary beauty escorting a baby kaiju across the countryside. If you had to add one more retired celebrity archetype to the team, who would it be and what ridiculous skill would they bring to the kaiju babysitting mission?