Doug Knight returns to talk about a series dedicated to the doctors

Douglas Knight of Crosseye Comics is back to talk about the newest issue of “Super Wicked White Cell Squadron,” a series launched last year and based on his time in the hospital as a kid undergoing cancer treatment. 

The comic is dedicated to the doctors that took care of him and which Knight wrote, drew and colored.

This series features a team of heroes inspired in part by the doctors Doug knew as a child and we talk about these real-life heroes. The 70-page first issue was released in 2023 and we look at how the story of SWWCS continues with the second issue. 

Unlike others in the creative fields, Doug chose not to back this through sites like Kickstarter and goes into what led to this decision.

The series gives a nod to shows like “Power Rangers,” and Doug shares how the costumes, mech designs, and villains all came to be. We also get a look at what he plans next in this series, and the many other projects he has in the works.

The heroic (and steamy) world of Ryder O’Malley

You’ve toured the world of superheroes in author Ryder O’Malley’s Heroes of Vanguard series. Now, it’s time for something a little bit darker.

This writer (whom I have never spoken to before, honest!) used his love of comics to craft a M/M romance series, now four books long. On Sept. 14, Ryder debuts the Villains of Vanguard with the first installment, “Corrupted Desire.” Here’s a look at what’s in store:

The world is going to burn, and I’m the one holding the match.

Prison hardens a man. Even worse, my ex testified against me in court. Ten years into my sentence and the inmates of Cold Iron fear me. It’s lonely, but it’s the price of survival. This isn’t the place to think about friends, let alone a relationship.

When Vanguard needs a criminal with my fiery skills, my time in the slammer is cut short. To keep my freedom, I only have to put down a Southland’s newest king pin. It’d be easy if the local do-gooder stopped interfering. Gallant won’t be the reason I get locked up again. If he wasn’t smoking hot, I’d crush him. On second thought, maybe he needs a pounding.

The heroes are playing with fire, but I’m not the one about to get burned.

Ryder and I dive right in, starting with the origins for this series and the climactic battle of shifting from his previous work to the world of romance. He takes us on a journey through the process of how romances are written (and Hallmark movies too, apparently) and the unique style he’s going for. We even get treated to a brief excerpt from the writer himself!

Buckle up folks, this one’s gonna be epic.

Douglas Knight of Cross Eye Comics dives into his soon-to-be released series

I love a good comic, as you all know, so this episode is one I am very happy to share. Douglas Knight, founder of Cross Eye Comics, joins me to talk about his new series, CHIASM (kai-ahz-em). It's the story of his life.....sort of. He talks all about the main character Desmond Phillips, who undergoes an operation to implant an alien molecule in his optic chiasm to combat and eliminate the cancer in his head. It's got a strong real-life connection and Doug and I look at how it influenced the story.

There's currently a Kickstarter going for the series and it runs until Aug. 28. The cool thing is that it's already well past the goal (you should support it anyway!) and Doug talks about what it means to have such support from the fans and readers.

We also look at how Doug got his start in comics and the different titles that inspired him along the way. He talks about working as a comic artist while being legally blind and how he's developed his very cool and unique style.

“I Am The First” comic explores bullying and mental health alongside hope and being true to yourself

The recently-released comic series “I Am The First” is a powerful story that touches on subjects like bullying, grief, and even suicide. But there's another message as well—that hope is still out there. The comic is the brainchild of author Jeremy Flagg and working with illustrator Amanda Kahl, they have created a story that has resonated with readers in a number of ways.

In small-town Maine, standing out in a crowd can be dangerous. Alec hasn't had an easy life. After his father died, his mother married Don to help make ends meet. What she didn't know, her second husband would turn into an alcoholic leech. Worst yet, his drunken rages are directed at Alec, the son he never wanted.

To make mattes worse, Alec has a secret even he doesn't understand.

Then there's Roxanne, a friendship that fell apart as Alec struggled to cope with the death of his father. Despite the walls he's erected to shield himself from the outside world, Roxanne is determined to be more than a sidekick in his life. So when the comic book aficionado discovers her friend has gifts beyond the average lanky-teenage boy, she is determined to teach him what it means to be a hero.

In this interview, Remy and Amanda talk about how they came to work together on this project. Amanda dives into the process of creating the visuals while Remy shares the challenges of being a novelist and writing something where brevity is they key. We talk about the different messages behind the series and the response they've gotten from readers. The series is currently in issue 2, with the third to be released later this summer.

Jason Loo shares the origins of “The All-Nighter,” winning awards, and working with Marvel

I'm very excited to welcome back comic artist and creator Jason Loo to look at the ComiXology Originals series “The All-Nighter.” The series is now complete and will be available in print on March 16.

Main character Alex is bored—flipping burgers for strangers all night is no way for a vampire to live. But he and his fellow vampires Joy, Cynthia, and Ian have agreed to blend into human society. Inspired by superhero movies, one of few passions in his un-life, Alex decides to don a cape and start fighting bad guys. But his decision will have bigger consequences than he realizes—for himself and for everyone he wants to protect.

Jason and I talk about the origin of the series and working with co-creator Chip Zdarsky, with whom Jason worked with for “Afterlift,” another ComiXology Originals title. That project went on to win the Eisner Award, and Jason shares the experience at winning one of the biggest awards in the comics industry.

Marvel is one of the many companies that Jason has worked with, and he talks about getting to do the art for some of his favorite titles. His life is a busy one, with a day job on top of his comics projects and gives some insight into how to balance such a busy schedule.

Christopher Sebela shares character designs and worldbuilding for “.Self” comic

BONUS TRACK-Sal Abbinanti releases his cult classic Atomika: God is Red” in omnibus format

It's a dual-comic episode! First up is four-time Eisner-nominated writer, designer, and publisher Christopher Sebela to talk about his newest series, “.Self,” which you can only find on comiXology Originals.

In .Self, Natalie Winters seems to have a perfect life. But when her Postscript account is hacked, Natalie’s backup files are torrented online and people begin making bootleg copies of her. We talk about Natalie's role, the perception of a perfect life and why she's so determined to get it back. Chris also talks about the character-building process and the different personalities he's created in the many titles he's worked on.

Chris also has a Kickstarter for a new title, “Foulbrood” which has him working once again with artist Claire Roe and we talk about the real-life news story that served as inspiration for a series that explores bees, crime and the intersection of bees and crime.

 After that, I welcome back Artist Sal Abbinanti to talk about the upcoming release of the omnibus edition of his classic title “Atomika: God is Red.” He also has a Kickstarter going that runs until Dec. 2. It's already well past its $25,000 goal and we talk about that and the vast list of artists that are contributing to this new edition.

Sal dives into the history of the title and all the challenges he faced when trying to get it published. We talk about the story and the research that went into building it.

Frank Barbiere walks us through some “Astonishing Times”

What if you lived in a world full of superheroes? Would you be amazed every day to see people who can perform impossible feats or would they just be part of the landscape? In this episode, “Astonishing Times” co-writer and co-creator Frank Barbiere joins me to talk all about this new five-part series, which you can only get at comiXology Originals.

Noah Sans, a young reporter living in the shadow of his father, lives in a world full of superheroes—but no one seems to care. After a world changing event called The Cataclysm, people moved on, and now heroes are old news. But when Noah begins investigating a mysterious murder, he comes face to face with his most revered heroes and is forced to confront a secret past that could change the world forever.

We talk about Noah's character and his perspective on the world of heroes and himself, especially when compared to his father, a journalist who was friends with the greatest heroes. We look at the world creation and how he and co-writer Arris Quinones crafted the cast.

Frank also talks about working with Arris, who is no stranger to the world of comics (he's the host of YouTube's Variant) but newer to writing them. We also look at the rest of the team and brilliant work they did bringing this idea to life.

The secret origin of Dragonflyman Day

I go live on the Citywide Blackout Instagram page with Tom Peyer, Editor-in-Chief of Ahoy Comics, to talk about the unprecedented announcement that June 16 will be hereafter known as Dragonflyman Day. This is in recognition of the bookstore publication date of the upcoming trade paperback release of DRAGONFLY & DRAGONFLYMAN—the prequel to THE WRONG EARTH—by writer Tom Peyer, artist Peter Krause, colorist Andy Troy, and letterer Rob Steen.

Along with this, we see how Ahoy has weathered the pandemic, which along with most other businesses, shuttered countless comic book stores. We also look at the numerous cancellations of comic-cons across the country this year.

“Lost on Planet Earth” explores a new path

Writer Magdalene Visaggio and artist Claudia Aguirre join me to talk about the new series “Lost on Planet Earth,” available on ComiXology Originals. We delve into the story of Basil, a young woman living in the year 2381. Her only goal in life is to become a captain for the Interplanetary Fleet, but will that really make her happy? It's one of the many elements to this brilliant story and we talk about how it all came together and the team behind it.

ComiXology is $5.99 a month and gives access to over 25,000 digital comics, graphic novels, and manga from DC, Marvel, Image, Dark Horse, and more, along with exclusive discounts.

The expanding creative world of Jeremy Flagg

In this live Instagram broadcast, I'm joined by author Jeremy Flagg to talk about the many new things he has going on. This includes Superhero-Fiction, a consortium of authors that focuses on writers who specialize in the novelization of superheroes. They've also got a virtual convention happening May 18-22, with panels scheduled for each day.

If that wasn't enough he's also working on a new comic with Amanda Kahl, known for her title, “Age of Night.” We also do some serious nerd chat on what we're doing to fill the extra time in the midst of the pandemic.

Welcome to Oppositeland

Tom Peyer, writer and editor-in-chief at Ahoy Comics, talks about the Dragonfly and Dragonflyman series, a prequel to The Wrong Earth. Two heroes—Dragonfly and Dragonflyman—find themselves on each other's worlds, two places which could not be more different. On gritty Earth-Omega, Dragonfly prowls the darkness for his evil prey; on sun-splashed Earth-Alpha, Dragonflyman protects the status quo.

Peyer talks about the two different heroes and the worlds they come from and how each adapts when the big switch happens. We also look at the other titles available from Ahoy and what is coming in the near future.

March 10, 2019: Mikel Wisler/The Adventures of June Bug

It's Citywide Blackout, your home for music, movies, and a whole lot more. On this week's show, I welcome back author and filmmaker Mikel Wisler to talk about his new book, “Sleepwalker,” a thrilling tale involving the bleeding edge of robotics and nanotechnology. We talk about the real vs. the fiction and how our own world mirrors the one he created.

Next up, we're talking radio dramas! Writer Jim Newman of the podcast The Adventures of June Bug shares the origin story of this new series, how it was casted and the process of bringing these characters to life. We've also got a bonus for you, episode one in the June Bug series. 

And what would this show be without new music? After the first interview enjoy “Nothing But You” from Andreas Carlsson & The Moonshine Band, a rock and country band from Sweden. Check them out on Facebook for all news on their new music currently being recorded.