Writer Olivia Dufault joins the show to talk about her comic journey and her new comic, Prima Apparata. Dufault discusses the roots of ideas, her comic origins, the impact of libraries, her writing journey, the overlap between theater and comics, breaking into comics, where Prima Apparata came from, her very original ideas, the lead characters of the book, Rebekah Isaacs, its ballet elements, the book's ashcan, the book's different titles, Ignition Press, her pride in the book, her comic writing future, and more.

Writer Jack Mulqueen joins the show to talk about his atypical path to comics and new series at Vault, Project Perseus. Mulqueen discusses why he started writing comics, his job as a nightlife developer, the community of comics, Mike Tyson experiences, self-publishing comics, being a part of comics, the origins of Project Perseus, the greatness of artist Edison Neo, bringing the book to life, its bananas energy, the characters of the book, working with Vault, whether he wants to keep making comics going forward, his next steps for writing, the New York Knicks' championship, the upcoming NBA season, and more.

Retailer Shannon Live joins the show to talk about the story behind her comic shop, Bat City Comic Professionals, and the year far for it and the direct market itself. Live discusses her level of busy, managing burnout, Bat City's unique nature, its different sides, their product mix, its indie emphasis, the year for shop, its energy, what's working, what can be learned from DC's success, new reader behavior, the direct market's overall health, ComicPRO's impact, tips for other retailers, and more.

Cartoonist Terry Moore joins the show to talk about his career and soon to launch crowdfunding campaign for Pandora's Box: An Echo Story. Moore discusses this moment in his career, his library of works, building a universe, gateway comics, why he went the cartoonist/self-publishing route, figuring things out, why Strangers in Paradise has proven to be such a lasting work, shifting to shorter runs, how his readership has evolved, crowdfunding as an option, doing his own thing, his new Dark Horse deal, working in other formats, the appeal of experimentation, what's next for him, the evolution of comics, and more.

Writer/artist Christian Ward returns to the show to talk about his recent projects like Event Horizon, The Patron, and The Forever Home. Ward discusses his San Diego Comic Con experience, focusing on writing, shifting how he's viewed, having a deliberate approach, seeing other publishers, diversifying his workload, the current market, how he looks at different projects, being an elite concept guy, pulling the rug out from under people, putting himself in the work, the origins of The Patron, John J. Pearson's work on the series, Sami Kivela's art, The Forever Home's forever home, its unique relationship with time, his different sides, the importance of finding your own answers, and more.

Writers Joshua Williamson and Kelly Sue DeConnick joined me at San Diego Comic Con for a special episode where we talk about why they love comics. Up first, Williamson shares why he loves comics, how his life affects his love, the creator that sealed the deal for him, whether he looks at comics the same as a reader and creator, self-imposed limitations, maintaining his passion for the medium, and more. Then, DeConnick joins to discuss why she loves comics, the medium's flexibility, its punk rock nature, reader brain vs. creator brain, experimenting with the medium, backmatter and community, expanding your horizons, and more.

Artist Andy Kubert joins the show to talk about his life and career in comics and his new series Terminals. Kubert discusses his schedule oriented approach, how he thinks about the job, what he learned from his father Joe, becoming an artist, his time at The Kubert School, figuring out his voice as an artist, the Kubert Triple Threat, his time on X-Men, the origins of Terminal, the project's lead time, the artists on the book, going the creator-owned route, the roots of Ka-Zar, the evolution of being an artist, a tip for artists, and more.

The Beat's Heidi MacDonald joins the show to talk about Marvel's explosive news and where things are as we head into San Diego Comic Con in an episode that was recorded across two days. MacDonald discusses Steve Wacker taking over as Marvel's Editor in Chief, Marvel's move to Burbank, what it all means, the C.B. Cebulski of it all, comic con plans and expectations, where the direct market is, why Absolute popped, the state of the single issue, Marvel's status, publishers we have an eye on, how the business is evolving, what Heidi is looking for this year, Robert Kirkman's impact, and more.