Word Balloon Comics Podcast

Artist Mike Perkins returns to Word Balloon to talk about The Bat-Man: Second Knight, now available in graphic novel format. Mike breaks down the visual approach behind this 2nd series set in 1939, collaborating with writer Dan Jurgens, and the challenge of capturing a dark pulp-era Gotham through his detailed painted style. We also discuss Mike’s artistic process, from layouts and reference work to balancing mood, storytelling, and page design.Plus, Mike gives a preview of his upcoming new Vertigo project with Ram V. The conversation also dives into Mike’s lifelong love of Marvel UK, and 2000 AD, growing up on British comics, and what it meant to finally draw Judge Dredd in collaboration with legendary creator John Wagner. 

Today on Word Balloon, we welcome writer Steve Darnall to talk about his new prose adaptation of Marvels, the landmark series created by Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross that redefined how readers looked at the Marvel Universe. The new novel with new cover and illustrations by Alex  is out in the next 2 weeks from Abrahms. Steve has a long history with Alex Ross, including their acclaimed collaboration on DC's Uncle Sam, and he also played an important role in the original Marvels project itself, co-writing the Marvels #0 story that explored the origin of Human Torch, the Golden Age android hero Jim Hammond. We talk about translating Ross’s iconic painted imagery and Busiek’s emotional storytelling into prose form, revisiting the history of the Marvel Universe through the eyes of ordinary people, and what it was like working alongside Ross during the formative years of some of his most celebrated projects. It’s a great conversation about comics history, superhero mythology, and the lasting influence of Marvels.

It's a very special Scene Missing as Actress and stunt performer Tatiana Neva joins Word Balloon to talk about her new espionage thriller Prey Of Wrath, now streaming free on XUMO, alongside martial arts legend Cynthia Rothrock.Neva discusses the physical and emotional challenges of making the indie action thriller, balancing fight choreography with character work, and what it takes to bring intensity to a modern spy story on a tight schedule. We also talk about her wide-ranging career in television and genre entertainment, including appearances on The Mindy Project and her many turns portraying comic book characters like Catwoman, Domino, and Black Widow in various film projects. It’s a fun conversation about action filmmaking, stunt work, superhero fandom, and building a career across indie film and pop culture entertainment.

To celebrate the milestone, I asked my computer to whip up questions for us , in some of the categories I love, comics star trek, spy tv shows, and 40's mystery films. This is like when Gary Kasperov played Deep Blue in chess. I'm happy to say our AI orverlords still don't get everything right. Thanks for all the support all this time since may 10th, 2005. 

Jackson L Star Trek Comnzing and Colin Kelly, the Hivemind writer team is back to chek in mid-story on ths epic IDW Tek Comic, that takes place 100 years before Discovery jumped to the future. How did Starfleet try to solve the problem> Could ressurected Jim Kirk save the day?In addition, we  discuss their epic Captain America Sentinel Of Liberty 18 issue sage with Marvel, and a lot more. 

In our first talk from 2007 Dave talks about beaking into comics, writing The Unknown Soldier, Runs on Superman and Spider-Man. The Iron Man "Demon In A Bottle" saga, and of course The creation of Venom 

It's David Lloyd's Birthday week, bor on ay 5th . Grab some tomato juice and aspirin, and enjoy this 2019 chatIn case you haven't noticed, David Lloyd isn't drawing comic books any more. He's still very much involved in the medium creating the digital comic anthology Aces Weekly, a weekly digital only comic featuring serialized stories in genres from humor to crime adventure and sci-fi. David's current creativity is pointed at publishing this digital only comic. He's stopped drawing to concentrate on this effort. He talks about his view on the current comics market and looks back at V For Vendetta, his war comics with Garth Ennis and his crime graphic novel Kickback

Welcome to a brand new Fortress of Word Balloon, where the mic gets handed over to the League of Word Balloon Listeners, straight from patreon.com/wordballoon.Coming to you from my secret headquarters, and this one’s a freewheeling hang with the smartest fans in comics as we bounce from comics to TV to film, hitting everything we love . And along the way, I dig into the Word Balloon vault to share some behind-the-scenes stories from the last 20 years, the guests, the moments, and the surprises that helped shape the show.

Scott Larson, the creator of the supernatural commic Visitations talks about his mentor Len Strazewski, co-creator of Jesse Quick for DC, Prime for Malibu and so much more.Len also did 17 ssiues of The Fly for Impact Comics, and wrote 10 issues of Jstice Society in 1992

On this episode, we go back to 2009 for a great conversation with Gerry Conway, a writer whose career has taken some fascinating turns across comics and television. We talk about why Gerry stepped away from a successful run in TV, writing shows like Law & Order and Diagnosis: Murder, to return to DC Comics for a surprising and, frankly, underappreciated project, The Last Days of Animal Man.That decision ends up sparking what you could call a full third act comeback in comics, leading him back into the Marvel universe and onto Spider-Man once again.Along the way, we dig into some of Gerry’s most iconic work, from the still controversial and era defining “death of Gwen Stacy” in The Amazing Spider-Man to the massive, history making 1976 Superman vs. The Amazing Spider-Man treasury edition.

The 2020 One On One chat between Gerry Conway and Brian Michael Bendis I arranged this chat between the guys the wrote their share of Spider-Man Superman, Avengers and Justice League stories.

from 202o. during covid gerry abd I talked about where the punisher fits in the post Black Lives Matter era, his DC and Marvel yeras, and adventures in TV and film writing. 

From 2013. A great talk spanning the scope of Gerry's Career. 

On this episode, I sit down with Drew Friedman for a deep dive into the wild, rebellious world of the underground comix movement of the 1960s and 70s. It's all covered in his Fantagraphics book Maverix and Lunatix: Icons of Underground ComixWe talk about the artists who broke all the rules Figures like R. Crumb, Vaughn Bode, and Trina Robbins , and how their raw, unfiltered storytelling reshaped comics into something far more personal, political, and subversive. Drew shares firsthand insights into that era’s lasting influence and how it informed his own unmistakable style.From his early collaborations with his brother Josh Alan Friedman to his breakout work in publications like RAW and National Lampoon, we track the evolution of his career and the obsessive detail behind his signature caricatures. We also get into his celebrated portrait work, including books like Old Jewish Comedians and his tributes to pop culture legends, where Drew blends satire, reverence, and razor-sharp draftsmanship. It’s a conversation about craft, counterculture, and the artists who refused to play it safe, and in the process, changed comics forever.

On this episode of Scene Missing, we head into shadowy postwar London for a stylish and strange detour in the career of Douglas Sirk. Before the lush Technicolor melodramas of the 1950s, Sirk took a crack at noir with the 1947 thriller Lured. A serial killer mystery wrapped in elegance, obsession, and just a touch of dark humor. Starring Lucille Ball in a rare dramatic role, the film follows a woman drawn into a dangerous undercover game as bait for a killer targeting lonely hearts. Along the way, she crosses paths with a gallery of suspects played by the likes of George Sanders and Boris Karloff, each bringing their own eerie flavor to the mystery.Joining me for the conversation is Washington D.C. comedian Lady Vee, and we dig into what makes Lured such an odd and fascinating hybrid. Is this a straight noir, or something more playful and subversive? How does Sirk’s later thematic obsession with performance and identity show up here? And where does this sit in the evolution of Lucille Ball before I Love Lucy changed everything?

We talk about The re-release of Avengers Endgame with new doomsday related scenes, and other TV anf film talk.

all the guys are back to talk cartoons tv and film 

Greg talks about the dangers of Canon,and promots the return of his series The Forged with Eric Trautman. Plus updates on Lazarus, Black Magic Attikus Kodiak and more. 

Greg gets i depth about returning to the world of Kate Kane. 

It’s time for another voyage of E-Motion Sickness: A Love Boat Re-Watch, and this one’s got everything you want out of classic late-70s TV chaos. Joining John and Franco this trip is artist and pop culture lifer Andy Price, ready to break down Episode 3. An hour packed with crushes, awkward reunions, and Julie getting absolutely zero help from the romance gods.You’ve got Kristy McNichol going all-in on Scott Baio like it’s teen magazine fan fiction come to life, while exes Robert Reed and Loretta Swit collide on deck with their new significant others… because nothing says “relaxing cruise” like unresolved baggage in formal wear.And poor Julie? She just can’t buy a win. Every time she thinks she’s got a promising passenger date, the universe steps in and says, “Not on this boat.”

In part 2 Brian answers uestions from the chat and we announce the dates and books for the next book club episodes for April and May.Next Tuesday night we'll record our book club observations of Absolute Martian Manhunter from Deniz Camp. You'll hear aout our favorite recent tv podcast and film recommendations, and Brian look back in detail on writing Marvel's Secret Invasion comic event. 

In part 1 of The Bendis Tapes, we’ve got a double shot of Brian Michael Bendis that hits both his past and his next big moves. First up, Powers is back with issue 8 from Dark Horse Comics, dropping Wednesday. And here’s the kicker. Powers isn’t just living on the page. It’s back in development, this time as an animated series at Netflix. That format might finally be the right fit to capture the scale and grit of Bendis and Oeming’s world without compromise.At the same time, Bendis is crossing universes again. Also out Wednesday is the Marvel and DC crossover Spider-Man Superman, featuring a brand new story from Bendis and Sara Pichelli, where Miles Morales meets Superman. 

Today on Word Balloon, I’m talking with a guy who’s built a career jumping between crime, history, and deeply human storytelling, Ande Parks. You know him from powerful graphic novels like Union Station and Capote in Kansas, and from his work across comics and film, where he always finds a way to ground big ideas in real emotion. Now he’s back with something new, and it’s a sharp turn into darker territory. We’re talking about Bad Thoughts, his latest project from Ignition Press.It’s a military espionage story on the surface, but underneath there’s something far stranger and more unsettling at work. This isn’t just about missions and secrets. It’s about what happens when the battlefield starts bending reality itself. And visually, the book hits just as hard. It’s brought to life by Dave Wachter, whose gritty, atmospheric style perfectly matches the tension and psychological edge of the story.

From the streets to the sketchbooks, this conversation dives deep into Only in New York, the upcoming graphic anthology from my guests Dean Haspiel, Doug Latino, and Eli Schwab. Arriving Fall 2026 from Cosmic Lion Productions and Real Life Comix, this 216 page hardcover delivers 50 short stories capturing the grit, absurdity, heartbreak, and humor of life in New York City. There kickstarter cmpaign is now active. If you enjoy the old McSweeny anthologies this book is for you. 

From Comixology, a new hilarious graphic novel about a Doctor who gives therapy to all sorts of monsters and deamons. 

Scene Missing returns with co-host Gabriel Hardman for a deep dive into the ink-stained world of filmmaker Samuel Fuller and his hard-edged newspaper stories. From the crusading idealism of Power of the Press to the scrappy, street-level ambition of Park Row, and the tabloid-fueled moral collapse at the heart of Scandal Sheet, we trace how Fuller’s real-life reporting experience shaped his cinematic voice.We get into the recurring themes that define these films: truth versus profit, the cost of ambition, and the thin line between journalist and opportunist. Hardman brings a filmmaker’s eye to Fuller’s visual storytelling, while we connect the dots between these movies and the larger legacy of newspaper noir. It’s a conversation about headlines, headlines makers, and the messy human stories behind both.

Joe Casey’s back, and he’s not here to play it safe. The architect is returning to the world that helped define a generation, BEN10 this time at Dynamite Entertainment with a bold new take aimed straight at the fans who grew up with the Omnitrix. Expect something sharper and more evolved, Casey revisiting his own legacy with the kind of perspective you only get after decades in the trenches.This July, He’s teaming with Robert Kirkman for a major new project at Skybound Entertainment, TERMINAL . A new superhero team with an absolute killer lineup of artists: Adam Kubert, David Finch, and Art Adams.We also get into Casey’s work with Man of Action Entertainment, the powerhouse studio behind modern animation hits, and how the rules have changed. Today’s audience is faster, more distracted, and far less patient with traditional storytelling rhythms. Casey breaks down what animation studios need to do to keep up, from tighter pacing and stronger hooks to designing stories that can live across platforms, not just in a 30 minute block. It’s a smart look at where animation is headed, and what it takes to actually hold attention in 2026.

Eric is writing the new Bizarro Year None with Kevin Smith and Nick Pitarra. Think of it as the reverse mirror image of All Star Superman. It's Jimmy Olsen and Perry White trapped in a very dark Bizarro World held by a very evil Bizarro.Wealso reflect on Eric's workon the Supergirl TV show and his thoughts on the upcoming movie, His work on Masters Of The Universe Revelations, with the new film coming up. Plus new animation with Zack Snyder and a look back at Justice League Action. 

In Part 2, Mike Carlin dives deeper into his defining years at DC Comics, sharing behind-the-scenes stories from his time shaping Superman and reflects on co-editing the landmark Marvel vs. DC alongside Mark Gruenwald, which led to the wild creative experiment of Amalgam Comics. From there, Carlin discusses his role as DC’s animation liaison from 2010 to 2011, helping bridge the gap between comics and screen on a range of shows and films, as well as his contributions to the energetic DC Nation Shorts.Plus collaborating with Jerry Ordway on The Power Of Shazam. Revistiting his run as a writer on Star Trek comics, including the first Star Trek: The Next Generation miniseries He even brings things full circle with recent work in Mad Magazine, proving his voice in comics remains as sharp and versatile as ever.

In Part 1 of this conversation, Mike Carlin takes us back to where it all began, starting with his 1974 internship at DC Comics under legendary editor Julius Schwartz and the early lessons that shaped his editorial instincts. Carlin then charts his path into Marvel Comics, breaking in through the irreverent Crazy Magazine before landing as an assistant editor under Mark Gruenwald, where he worked on powerhouse titles like Thor and Captain America.Then he takes us to the jump to DC where his legendary run as Supermn editor began. It is a candid, ground-level look at Carlin’s formative years, learning the craft, navigating the bullpen, and building the foundation for a career that would eventually reshape Superman and beyond.

Some musings about current headlines. The Supergirl Moview franchise reboots, He-Man Star Wars Dr Who Sherlock Holmes and more. 

Worlds collide in a special podcast crossover as Word Balloon teams up with Comic Book Couples Counseling for a funny insightful conversation . 

We discuss the moonshot, andI can't help but think about apollo days. Keith promotes Green Hornet Noir City from Moonstone Books, and we talk about his TV essays at Reactor Magazine and many other short stories in current magazines, like Weirdi Tales. 

Today on Word Balloon, I’m talking with a creator who’s carving out his own lane between nostalgia, genre chaos, and straight-up adrenaline storytelling, Curt Pires. From his breakout fantasy hit Lost Fantasy at Image Comics: a monster-slaying throwback with serious momentum thanks to artist Luca Casalanguida. To the hyperviolent sexy cosmic trip parody of Galactic at DSTLRY with Amilcar Pinna, Curt’s work is all about big swings and bold humor. Now he’s leveling up again with Fireborn, co-written with musician Franklin Jonas and drawn by Patrick Mulholland. It's a neon-charged, ’90s comics and 32-bit video game fever dream about a billionaire’s reckless son fused with a dragon egg in the heart of New York City. We’ll talk about the evolution of his storytelling, the energy behind these books, and why Fireborn might be his wildest ride yet.

The Beasts Of Berwyn joined ne live on stage to discuss their careers and their excellent Saturday night show on METV 

SCTV Head Writer Dave Thomas joined to to discuss writing comedy, his love for Superman and  promoting his sci-fi comedy book we wrote with Max Allen Collins 

For Part 2 of my conversation on radio sketch comedy, we’re diving deeper with one of the true architects of the form, Phil Proctor from The Firesign Theatre. Long before podcasts made audio storytelling cool again, Firesign was bending minds and blowing up the rules with albums like Don't Crush That Dwarf, Hand Me the Pliers. Layered, surreal, and way ahead of its time. For anyone like me who grew up obsessed with what you could do with sound, characters, and pure imagination, Phil wasn’t just part of the act,he helped invent the language. In this second round, we go even deeper into the craft, the chaos, and the lasting influence of audio comedy that still echoes today.

Back in my WXRT days, when rock radio still had a little room to get weird, there was one audio ,The Usual Suspects. Their sharp, character-driven sketches didn’t just make me laugh, they lit the fuse for everything I later tried on The Score and even here on Word Balloon. Today, I’m talking with two of the masterminds behind that magic, Barb Wallace and Tom Wolfe, a brilliant writing team whose partnership went from Chicago airwaves to Hollywood success, with credits on shows like Murphy Brown and Welcome to New York, starring Christine Baranski and a young Jim Gaffigan. For me, these two weren’t just funny—they were the blueprint.

From 2021 Filmmaker Stacey Souther made an incredible documentary about Valerie Perrine , who made us all fall in love with her Superman performance as Lex Luthor's Moll  not to mention Lenny, Slaughterhouse Five, WC Fields and Me and more. She was nominated for best actress in the Oscars for Lenny with Dustin Hoffman but then was in the Disco Bomb Can't Stop The Music with The Villiage People. I spoke to Stacey about the film and his longtime friendship with Valerie. 

Ok, I gave Mitch Wayne and Franco the day off while I vent my spleen with the guys from Dork Court John Price a teacher and essayist who's been writing about Star Trek for Years, and Larry Young of Planet AIT LAR and the excellent Astronauts In TRouble series.I swear a lot on this episode. I couldn't hold back on my frustrations about Alex Kurtzman Star Trek. The confirmation that there will be no more than the 2 already amde seasons of Academy. Good. 

Today on Word Balloon, we’re diving into one of those conversations that I love—because it’s not just about comics, it’s about how we read comics. My guest is Dr. Stanford Carpenter, cultural anthropologist, comics scholar, and one of the driving forces behind Comicpalooza University, and we get into a really interesting debate about the Fantastic Four.Stanford makes the case that the Fantastic Four can be seen as a kind of white colonial metaphor—a reflection of 1960s power structures, exploration narratives, and who gets to define “the unknown.” And honestly? I push back. Because while I absolutely get where that reading comes from, I’ve always seen the FF first and foremost as a family book—messy, emotional, human… and a product of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby trying to tell more grounded, character-driven stories in the middle of the space race.So this becomes a really fun, thoughtful back-and-forth about intent versus interpretation…about whether these stories reflect colonial thinking, or just the era they were created in…and how much meaning we should assign to that when we’re reading them today. It’s smart, it’s respectful, and yeah—we don’t totally agree. And that’s the good stuff.

A WB classic from 2005 Walter Simonson looks back at his classic work. From Thor The Frog and the creation of Beta Ray Bill, to Orion and The New Gods.From his collaborations with Martin Pasko to put the bronze age spin on Dr Fate, to reviving Manhunter with Archie Goowdwin. We talk about the Fantastic Four, his spin on X-Factor co-plotted with his wife Louise , to working on the Marvel Star Wars comic at that awkward time between The Empire Strikes Back, and Return Of The Jedi.Tales of wonder, from a true master.

The Finder creator is back with a new famiy fantasy series eries she's posying free at her patreon. It's part Harry Potter Part Twilight Zone and part star trek. patreon.com/carlaspeedmcneil 

Today, we’re diving into one of the more… let’s say unique corners of pop culture with my guest, Mr. Skin, as we talk about this year’s Skinatomy Awards. Now before anyone clutches their pearls, let me just say this. I’ve always believed in free speech. Not in some high-minded, academic way… just in a real, common-sense way. People should be able to express themselves. That includes language, that includes humor, and yeah, that includes celebrating the human body.That’s why on this show, I don’t get uptight about a little salty language, and I’m certainly not afraid to have an honest conversation about nudity in film and television. And honestly, that’s what makes talking to Mr. Skin interesting. Because beyond the laughs and the lists, there’s actually a real conversation here about how culture shifts. What’s acceptable, what’s not, how different countries approach it, and how those attitudes have changed over time.So today, we’re going to have some fun with the Skinatomy Awards, but we’re also going to dig a little deeper into how pop culture, censorship, and evolving tastes all collide in ways you might not expect.

There’s been a lot of chatter lately about Green Lantern—especially with Grant Morrison weighing in on Damon Lindelof’s comments and HBO’s decision to frame its upcoming series around  Lanterns. And look,when Grant Morrison speaks up about Green Lantern, it’s not noise. It’s coming from real creative experience.Grant, along with artist Liam Sharp, delivered one of the most imaginative and ambitious Green Lantern runs in recent DC Comics history.A run that really leaned into the cosmic weirdness, the science fiction roots, and the larger-than-life mythology that makes the character work. So this isn’t theory. This is practice.Today, I want to take you back to a 2020 conversation I had with Grant during the COVID lockdown. A moment when we had the time to really dig into what makes Green Lantern special. You’ll also hear insights connected to Liam Sharp’s work on the book, and how both creators approached the character not just as a superhero—but as a gateway to big, wild, conceptual storytelling. If you’ve ever wondered why Green Lantern matters, why the concept still has legs, and why creators keep coming back to it, this is a great place to start.

Steve The Dude Rude is back to talk about his upcoming  NEXUS BATTLE FOR THUNEWORLD ARTIST EDITION LAUNCHING ON BACKERKIT MAR 28 for more info go tohttp://www.steverude.com/thuneworldae

Our long nightmare is over...for now.