Join married couple Brad and Lisa as they explore the various dynamics of comic book relationships throughout pop culture and publishing history.
Episodes
4 days ago
4 days ago
Well, this is a surprise. Todd McFarlane returns to the podcast to discuss why he’s suddenly switching up the creative rosters on several Spawn universe titles. Starting with issue 376, friend of the show Matthew Rosenberg will script alongside artist Stephen Segovia. Roseberg will also serve as writer on the sibling series, King Spawn, with Thomas Nachlik on art. In Gunslinger Spawn #54, writer Erica Schultz joins returning artist Carlo Barberi. And starting today, She-Spawn #1 launches with Gail Simone as writer and Ig Guara as artist.
He’s said it before, and he states it emphatically on this week’s show: Todd McFarlane sees Spawn as his creative child, and as all parents want for their kids, Todd hopes to see him live long after he’s gone. To secure that reality, he needs to let go of the reins. So, today, he’s reflecting on his favorite comics and how regime changes propelled those books into legend.
Before all that, however, we banter back and forth about this past weekend’s Free Comic Book Day, and the awe-inspiring Charity Sketch Cover Auction Four Color Fantasies pulled off on Saturday, raising nearly $12,000 for the Literacy Volunteers of the Winchester Area. We discuss how we took that radical energy and moved it into our Comic Book Club on Sunday, and then work both events into the theme of community and how it bolsters the comic book industry, which leads directly into what Todd McFarlane is doing with his baby, Spawn.
This week, it’s all about the power of comics. Todd McFarlane details why he’s always happy to have others play in his playground, how he still has an ending for Spawn even though he never wants to use it, and why there are nuances to that tired artist vs. writer debate.
Spawn #376 arrives in shops from Image Comics on June 3rd, with Final Order Cutoff happening this upcoming Monday, the 11th. If you want to continue our discussion with Todd McFarlane, you can find him on BlueSky and Instagram, as well as his Website.
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!
Other Relevant Links to This Week's Episode:
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.
Thursday Apr 30, 2026
Thursday Apr 30, 2026
When mom and dad go to war, it’s the children who suffer the most. Family tension bleeds into every aspect of their lives, and frequently, they have nowhere to hide or even space to process the external and internal strife. As a kid, we fled to stories. Whether it was E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial or Mrs. Doubtfire, fiction helped us process the big emotions we witnessed flowing from our parents. This week on the podcast, we’re talking with collaborators Jimmy Gaspero and Amber Akin about their new all-ages graphic novel, Penny and the Yeti. It’s a comic designed to help kids navigate the world when the adult voices in their home get too darn loud.
Currently, divorce rates in America fall between 40 and 50 percent. Whether a kid is personally affected by this rate or not, they’ll certainly encounter divorce among friends. They will rely on stories like Penny and the Yeti to clarify this reality. And creating such stories bears an incredible responsibility.
With Jimmy Gaspero and Amber Akin, we discuss Penny and the Yeti’s origins, its ties to Gaspero’s own daughter, and the joys of visualizing cryptids. Why a Yeti? If you know Jimmy and his work as a podcaster and journalist, you know the answer already. And we get into that specific aspect of his life as well.
Penny and the Yeti is out now from Papercutz. It’s written by Jimmy Gaspero, illustrated by Amber Akin, color flatted by Charlie Akin, and lettered by Buddy Beaudoin. You can continue this conversation by following Jimmy Gaspero on Instagram and BlueSky and Amber Akin on Instagram and BlueSky.
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!
Everyone loves to talk and debate about comics, but few people get to see what it’s actually like behind the scenes. Now, IDW Publishing is changing that with the launch of IDW Studios. The first monthly show is CreatorxCreator, a free-flowing, fun, and honest chat between two comic book creators as they discuss their craft, process, inspiration, and what life is really like as a creative. The second monthly show, Superlatives, brings IDW’s knowledgeable and spirited editors head-to-head to debate each of these categories, with another editor stepping in as the moderator to pick the winner once the pros have made their arguments.
Other Relevant Links to This Week's Episode:
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.
Wednesday Apr 29, 2026
Wednesday Apr 29, 2026
We’re sure you can relate to this sensation. You finish reading a comic, and as you close the back cover, you look over your shoulder. Has the creator responsible for this book been living in your home? Have they been watching you when you weren’t looking? Cuz this comic seems made specifically for you. That’s certainly how we feel about Kevin Alvir and his latest graphic novel, Lisa Cheese and Ghost Guitar: The Rock God Complex, out now from Top Shelf Productions.
This second book in his Lisa Cheese and Ghost Guitar series sees Alvir upping his game. He’s perfectly smashed the indie comics world with the superhero fantasy. As we state on the back of the book, in the pull-quote we’re most proud of, “What if Jack Kirby tabled at @SPXComics? You’d get Lisa Cheese and Ghost Guitar!” If you understand that statement, you’re already in. You should put this book in your hands immediately.
Kevin Alvir masterfully blends the mundane with the extraordinary. His characters are struggling, but they’re fighting the good fight, and they will overcome their internal and external battles. In this week’s podcast, we discuss with the cartoonist how he leveled up for his sequel, the power of unhinged, righteous anger, and how reading and creating comics help you sort your stuff out.
Every character in Lisa Cheese and Ghost Guitar: The Rock God Complex is searching for something: from guitar strings to vampire teeth to self-respect. What they eventually find carves a path for the reader to follow. It’s a beautiful, affirming, human story with cybernetic unicorns, ghost guitarists, demons, and naysayers.
Continue the conversation with Kevin Alvir by following him on Instagram and BlueSky.
This Week's Sponsors
Everyone loves to talk and debate about comics, but few people get to see what it’s actually like behind the scenes. Now, IDW Publishing is changing that with the launch of IDW Studios. The first monthly show is CreatorxCreator, a free-flowing, fun, and honest chat between two comic book creators as they discuss their craft, process, inspiration, and what life is really like as a creative. The second monthly show, Superlatives, brings IDW’s knowledgeable and spirited editors head-to-head to debate each of these categories, with another editor stepping in as the moderator to pick the winner once the pros have made their arguments.
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!
Other Relevant Links to This Week's Episode:
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.
Friday Apr 24, 2026
Friday Apr 24, 2026
With social media splintering and websites chasing clicks, navigating the comic book industry has never been more challenging. Tiffany Babb and The Comics Staple are here to help, hopefully. If you have any interest in comics criticism, you’re probably already aware of who Babb is and what fight she’s fighting. Her latest project is a monthly black-and-white zine designed to be a tool for readers entering their local comic shop. Her roster of tastemakers will guide you through what’s hot, what’s not, and break beyond the publicity machine.
You have less than a week to back The Comics Staple on Kickstarter. It’s already reached well beyond its goal. This beauty is happening, and we can’t wait to get our hands on the first issue in September. As we’re attempting to balance our lives between the online space and “the meat space,” endeavors like The Comics Staple seem poised to help.
It’s always a pleasure to have Tiffany Babb on the podcast. This week, we discuss why she added The Comics Staple to her workload, how she assembled her creative team, why the physical media movement is gaining steam with younger generations, and who will benefit from a twelve-page comic book guide.
Find The Comics Courier Kickstarter here. Continue the conversation with Tiffany Babb by following her on BlueSky, Instagram, and her Website.
This Week's Sponsors
Everyone loves to talk and debate about comics, but few people get to see what it’s actually like behind the scenes. Now, IDW Publishing is changing that with the launch of IDW Studios. The first monthly show is CreatorxCreator, a free-flowing, fun and honest chat between two comic book creators as they discuss their craft, process, inspiration, and what life is really like as a creative. The second monthly show, Superlatives, brings IDW’s knowledgeable and spirited editors head-to-head to debate each of these categories, with another editor stepping in as the moderator to pick the winner once the pros have made their arguments.
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!
Other Relevant Links to This Week's Episode:
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.
Wednesday Apr 22, 2026
Wednesday Apr 22, 2026
Before Christian Ward joins us for a full-spoilers conversation about Event Horizon: Inferno, we get lost in a lengthy discussion about Stephen King’s The Stand. We promise, however, that both stories tie nicely together and circle the vast concerns many of us are feeling in 2026. Event Horizon #1 is now available in comic book shops everywhere, thanks to IDW Publishing, and this week’s podcast is a full-spoilers conversation all about it, digging deep into modern anxieties while also celebrating kick-ass monsters and scary horror movie violence. As the solicits say for this surprise comic book sequel, Event Horizon: Inferno is indeed Aliens meets Dante’s Inferno. Get ready now.
Set 200 years after the film and its comic book prequel, Event Horizon: Dark Descent, Event Horizon: Inferno introduces a new crew of desperate humans and demonic antagonists. Christian Ward and artist Rob Carey (plus, colorist Xenon Honchar and letterer Alex Ray) profoundly expand the Event Horizon universe, taking it to realms barely hinted at in the original nineties scare fest. As Ward mentions, he’s giving Event Horizon the same treatment that Dark Horse Comics gave the Aliens and Predator franchises back in the nineties. If you remember those comics, damn, you’re probably pretty darn excited at the notion.
This week, we get ponderous about hell, heaven, and their servants. We dig into how this series demands expansion and the freedom in which the publisher and studio gave Ward and his collaborators. We consider how Event Horizon: Inferno reflects the world outside our window and what we can do to alleviate real-life dread. Buckle up, friends. We’re all on this ship together.
Again, Event Horizon #1 is out now from IDW Publishing. It’s written by Christian Ward, illustrated by Rob Carey, colored by Xenon Honchar, and lettered by Alex Ray. Variant Cover (see art above) by Eamon Winkle. Continue this conversation with Christian Ward by visiting his Website and following him on Blue Sky and Instagram.
This Week's Sponsors
Everyone loves to talk and debate about comics, but few people get to see what it’s actually like behind the scenes. Now, IDW Publishing is changing that with the launch of IDW Studios. The first monthly show is CreatorxCreator, a free-flowing, fun, and honest chat between two comic book creators as they discuss their craft, process, inspiration, and what life is really like as a creative. The second monthly show, Superlatives, brings IDW’s knowledgeable and spirited editors head-to-head to debate each of these categories, with another editor stepping in as the moderator to pick the winner once the pros have made their arguments.
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!
Other Relevant Links to This Week's Episode:
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.
Thursday Apr 16, 2026
Thursday Apr 16, 2026
It’s a topic we discuss a lot. When you love comics, you eventually want to make them. Curt Pires heard Franklin Jonas professing his love for the medium on a podcast. Immediately, he recognized a kindred spirit. Pires invited Jonas to play. The result is the new Image Comics series Fireborn, spinning out of Pires’ massive comic book playground, Lost Fantasy.
Maybe you’ve already read the logline: Fireborn is Invincible meets How to Train Your Dragon meets Absolute Batman. Whoa, okay. That’s a lot, but what does that actually mean? On this week’s podcast, we get into it with Franklin Jonas and Curt Pires. We break down those other stories and consider what they owe to Spider-Man and his Amazing Fantasy #15 debut. Where do you begin when creating an F’d up Peter Parker?
And did we mention the hot takes? Franklin Jonas has them! We give the musician the space to profess his passion for comics, champion his all-time favorite Daredevil run, and explain why not enough of you are reading the current JSA monthly written by Jeff Lemire.
In Fireborn, Aaron Hillburg is a rich kid who runs face-first into Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey. He answers the call to action, but when will he reject it? With great power there must also come great responsibility. One issue in, we got part one of that statement. Is part two coming?
Let’s geek out about what comics can do that no TV pitch can ever contain.
Fireborn #1 is out now from Image Comics. It’s written by Curt Pires and Franklin Jonas, illustrated by Patrick Mulholland, colored by Mark Dale, and lettered by Micah Myers. Make sure you’re following Franklin Jonas on Instagram and Curt Pires on BlueSky and Instagram.
This Week's Sponsors
Everyone loves to talk and debate about comics, but few people get to see what it’s actually like behind the scenes. Now, IDW Publishing is changing that with the launch of IDW Studios. The first monthly show is CreatorxCreator, a free-flowing, fun and honest chat between two comic book creators as they discuss their craft, process, inspiration, and what life is really like as a creative. The second monthly show, Superlatives, brings IDW’s knowledgeable and spirited editors head-to-head to debate each of these categories, with another editor stepping in as the moderator to pick the winner once the pros have made their arguments.
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!
Other Relevant Links to This Week's Episode:
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.
Tuesday Apr 14, 2026
Tuesday Apr 14, 2026
Comics don’t just happen. Artists will them from nothing. As you’ll hear from Henry Barajas and Rachel Merrill in this week’s podcast, comics arrive at your local comic book shop through tremendous persistence and imagination. The next time you cross your shop’s threshold, possibly to grab a copy of Barajas and Merrill’s Death to Pachuco, out now in trade paperback from Image Comics, take a moment to thank the makers. Each book on the rack is a tiny miracle.
In Death to Pachuco, Barajas and Merrill tap into history, detailing the 1943 Sleepy Lagoon Murder Trial and the Zoot Suit Riots. It’s a Chicano noir, heavily inspired by classic Hollywood tales, but springing from a perspective frequently silenced or ignored. Their private eye, Ricardo “Ricky” Tellez, fancies himself a Sherlock Holmes type, complete with a nearly debilitating drug addiction. He’s caught in the racial tensions boiling over during wartime Los Angeles, hunting for a killer, while navigating a femme fatale.
This week on the podcast, we chat with Barajas and Merrill about balancing fact and fiction, style and reality, and why humanity frequently allows fear steer its actions. We discuss the magnificent amount of will and persistence it took to materialize Death to Pachuco and how it feels to see it collected in trade paperback, finally.
Death to Pachuco is written and lettered by Henry Barajas, illustrated by Rachel Merrill, and colored by Lee Loughridge. The book featured several variant covers from folks like Sarah Gordon (see episode art), Tula Lotay, Ben Passmore, David Lapham, and others.
Make sure you're following Henry Barajas on BlueSky and Instagram, and Rachel Merrill on BlueSky and Instagram.
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!
Everyone loves to talk and debate about comics, but few people get to see what it’s actually like behind the scenes. Now, IDW Publishing is changing that with the launch of IDW Studios. The first monthly show is CreatorxCreator, a free-flowing, fun and honest chat between two comic book creators as they discuss their craft, process, inspiration, and what life is really like as a creative. The second monthly show, Superlatives, brings IDW’s knowledgeable and spirited editors head-to-head to debate each of these categories, with another editor stepping in as the moderator to pick the winner once the pros have made their arguments.
Other Relevant Links to This Week's Episode:
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.
Wednesday Apr 08, 2026
Wednesday Apr 08, 2026
Here’s an episode we’ve wanted to have for a while. Zoe Tunnell joins the podcast this week to discuss her new IDW Crime series Seven Wives and examine how easy it is to fall into cult-like behavior. As massive fans of (fictional) crime, we’re excited for Zoe Tunnell and her comic book collaborators to launch the new IDW Crime imprint with a locked-room mystery. It gives us an excuse to rattle on about Agatha Christie, Knives Out, and our devilish, guilty pleasure, True Crime.
Seven Wives’ murderous opening features the Dunn family patriarch receiving forty-nine stab wounds at the altar of his Fundamentalist temple. The suspects, the titular wives, and maybe an offspring or two. Detectives Aguilar and Halwell get to work interrogating everyone on the compound, granting Seven Wives a killer structure, and a thrilling excuse for Zoe Tunnell to beef up her three-issue mini-series with a meaty, messy character study.
We’ve followed Zoe Tunnell for years, enjoying her comics criticism and her plunge into comic-making. We discuss how one skill prepared her for the other, her passion for crime stories and locked-room mysteries in particular, and the empathy required to understand cult stories. While we couldn’t have imagined the subjects we’d explore, we always knew Zoe Tunnell would find her way onto the show.
Seven Wives is written by Zoe Tunnell, illustrated by V. Gagnon and Maria Keane, and colored by Antonio Del Hoyo. IDW Publishing drops the comic in shops on May 20th. FOC (Final Order Cutoff) is Monday, April 13th.
Follow Zoe Tunnell on Instagram, BlueSky, and her Website.
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!
Everyone loves to talk and debate about comics, but few people get to see what it’s actually like behind the scenes. Now, IDW Publishing is changing that with the launch of IDW Studios. The first monthly show is CreatorxCreator, a free-flowing, fun and honest chat between two comic book creators as they discuss their craft, process, inspiration, and what life is really like as a creative. The second monthly show, Superlatives, brings IDW’s knowledgeable and spirited editors head-to-head to debate each of these categories, with another editor stepping in as the moderator to pick the winner once the pros have made their arguments.
Other Relevant Links to This Week's Episode:
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.
Tuesday Mar 31, 2026
Tuesday Mar 31, 2026
Okay, it’s time to press pause on your life and press play on this week’s episode. Klaus Janson is an icon. He’s worked in comics for over fifty years, radically shaping characters like Daredevil and Batman, while working alongside other comic book greats such as Frank Miller, Dick Giordano, Gene Colan, Dennis O'Neil, Grant Morrison, Bill Sienkiewicz, Brian Michael Bendis, and many, many more. He’s worked within the medium from multiple angles as penciler, inker, colorist, writer, and teacher. By thriving through comics, he’s also collected a million stories to tell. We got a few out of him today.
We’re honored to have Klaus Janson join us for our 350th episode, especially during a time that sees his first North American art exhibit on display at the Philippe Labaune Gallery in New York City. You have until April 11th to witness more than one hundred Klaus Janson pieces, reflecting a lifetime of dedication to our favorite art form. If you’re looking to extend the 40th anniversary celebrations of The Dark Knight Returns, a book that continues to shape the entire industry and a few others as well, then you owe yourself a trip.
Klaus Janson takes us all the way back to his time before comics, and how two unique jobs prepared him for his life at the drawing board. We discuss his collaboration with Frank Miller on Daredevil and The Dark Knight Returns, a few of the projects he’s proud of that don’t necessarily get the most attention, and how comics have shaped him as a person.
Also, we spend this episode’s introduction discussing our recent excursion to WonderCon in Anaheim, California. With multiple conventions fighting for your attention this weekend, we consider what WonderCon offers that other gatherings don’t, as well as some of the comic book news revealed across multiple panels. Absolute Crisis?
Please say Thank You to Klaus Janson by following his Instagram.
This Week's Sponsors
Everyone loves to talk and debate about comics, but few people get to see what it’s actually like behind the scenes. Now, IDW Publishing is changing that with the launch of IDW Studios. The first monthly show is CreatorxCreator, a free-flowing, fun and honest chat between two comic book creators as they discuss their craft, process, inspiration, and what life is really like as a creative. The second monthly show, Superlatives, brings IDW’s knowledgeable and spirited editors head-to-head to debate each of these categories, with another editor stepping in as the moderator to pick the winner once the pros have made their arguments.
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!
Other Relevant Links to This Week's Episode:
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.
Friday Mar 27, 2026
Friday Mar 27, 2026
You love to see it. Cartoonist Ethan Young (Dragon Path, Nanjing: The Burning City) places a huge bet on himself. He’s reclaimed the rights to his main character from the graphic novel series The Battles of Bridget Lee, originally published at Dark Horse Comics, and planted her in a slightly altered landscape with a much more mature (i.e., violent) tone. The new comic is called Demon Run, and you have till April 3rd to make your orders for the first two issues on his website.
The Battles of Bridget Lee: Invasion of Farfall first hit stands in 2016. Ethan Young has made many more comics since then, worked extensively in animation (including Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man), and significantly evolved his style. Why is he going back to Briget Lee? Why is she battling demons now and not alien invaders? Why is Demon Runfilled with gnarly, grisly action and not sanitized for the YA market? Most importantly, why is Ethan Young taking on the burden of self-publishing?
All these questions and more are asked in this week’s Comic Book Couples Counseling podcast. We’ve admired Ethan Young’s comics for many years now. His appearance on the show is a long time coming, and we’re excited to see him morph Bridget Lee into the Demon Run concept. You’re damn right, we were two of the first to pre-order the comics via Young Illustrations.
In addition to bookmarking his website, make sure you’re following Ethan Young on Instagram and BlueSky.
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