Comic Book Couples Counseling Podcast

The Stampies: Best Comics of 2025 (Part One)

Friends, let’s celebrate. We’ve made it through another year, and no matter how you felt about the world outside your local comic book shop, you certainly read some great comics. Welcome to our annual award show, The Stampies: Best Comics of 2025. Part One.

Every year is a good year for comics. You just have to go out and read them. That’s the secret. We try not to imprison ourselves with characters, genres, publishers, or even our preferred tastes. As long as you’re only interested in good comics, you’ll find them if you read enough, and the brilliant thing about 2025 is that we read a lot, and found so many great comics, but we still didn’t read enough to read all the great comics.

Thankfully, we sent out the Comic Book Couples Counseling distress call, and a bunch of our friends from across the industry answered. Peppered throughout our Stampies ceremony are our podcaster, journalist, publicist, and creator friends, each offering their favorite comics from 2025. See a list of them below, and make sure you support their work and follow them on socials.

As we do every year, we select our favorite comics and then create the Stampies around them. This two-part episode reflects our weird, collective tastes as a couple. Listeners will recognize several of the titles, but hopefully, we’ve thrown in several surprises, too. You can also find the award categories and (SPOILERS) winners below, listed alongside their timestamps in case you want to hop around or revisit later.

For the first time ever, we’ve created physical Stampy Awards to be delivered to the creators. We’re only able to do this thanks to our new sponsor, Global Comix. The all-in-one digital comics platform is currently offfering a great comics bundle when you sign up for their Global Comix Gold program. Make sure you give them a click (more details below), then start browsing their incredible digital comics library.

The Best Comics of 2025 Part One Guest-Stars:

• Lance (Bluesky) and Jeremy (Bluesky) of Comic Book Keepers.

• Eamon Winkle (Instagram): The Principles of Necromancy, Geiger, etc.

• Jenna Anderson (Bluesky) of Phase Hero and Go Read Some Comics.

• Chris Hacker (Bluesky) and Aaron Knowles (BlueSky) of The Oblivion Bar Podcast.

• Ollie Kaplan (Bluesky) of Comics Beat, Prism Comics, etc.

• Barbra Dillon (Bluesky): Co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of Fanbase Press.

• David Harper (Bluesky) of SKTCHD and Off Panel.

• Patrick Horvath (Bluesky): Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees.

• Badr Milligan (Bluesky) of The Short Box Podcast.

This Week's Sponsors

GlobalComix is the all-in-one digital comics platform offering unlimited reading of thousands of titles from top publishers, indie creators, across comics, manga, and toons. With GlobalComix Gold, members unlock access to more than 100,000 books and genres - superheroes, horror, sci-fi, manga, fantasy, romance, and more. Right now, GlobalComix is running a special Holiday Gold promotion: when you sign up for a year of GlobalComix Gold for $69, you'll get a bonus premium comics bundle from Dark Horse, DC, Kodansha, and Marvel - included for free. This bundle is valued at $67, making the annual plan essentially pay for itself with the bonus alone. How to Redeem: Use the link https://globalcomix.com/holiday-bundle-2025 to sign up. The offer is live now and available for a limited time (through January 4, 2026). Once subscribed, the bonus bundle will be added to your GlobalComix library.

This Winter, from IDW Publishing, the Heroes in a Half-Shell take on the King of the Monsters! Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Godzilla #1 crashes into comic shops on November 12th. Written by Godzilla Kei-Sei Scribe Tim Seeley and illustrated by the brilliant Turtle artist behind the Nightwatcher series, as well as the Stranger Things/TMNT crossover, Fero Pe, this new series finally brings two of our favorite franchises together. How can this reptilian miracle be?  Long before the organization was corrupted by Shredder, the Foot Clan’s original purpose was to save Japan from Kaiju! Now, in the present day, Godzilla and its fellow monsters have reappeared. Not only is the Foot not prepared to stop them…it would seem Shredder himself is behind the attacks! The Turtles are always crossing over into rad nerd realms, but this one might be the king crossover of them all. 

Are you ready to face the future? Look no further than 2000 AD – it’s the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic! Every week 2000 AD brings 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 at your mailbox every week, and your first issue is free. You’ll also receive the HUNDRED PAGE 2000 AD Christmas Special this December at no extra cost! 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!

The Best Comics of 2025 Part One Category Timestamps:

• Intro (The Year that Was) - 3:51

• Global Comix Gold Bundle - 14:04

• The Style is the Substance Award - 22:15 - WINNER: News from the Fallout (Image Comics)

• Best Genre Mashup - 30:38 - WINNER: Absolute Martian Manhunter (DC Comics)

• Saddest Comic of the Year - 40:00 - WINNER: Everything Dead and Dying (Image Comics)

• Best All-Ages Comic - 49:29 - WINNER: The Cartoonists Club (Scholastic)

• Best Young Adult Comic - 55:17 - WINNER: Clementine Book Three (Skybound/Image Comics)

• Best Nonfiction Comic - 1:06:23 - WINNER: "Dr. Werthless" (Dark Horse Comics)

• Best Crime Comic - 1:17:49 - WINNER: Out of Alcatraz (Oni Press)

• Best Short Story - 1:27:40 - WINNER: "Untitled" from Absolute Batman Annual #1 (DC Comics)

Final Round of Plugs (PHEW):

Support the Podcast by Joining OUR PATREON COMMUNITY.

The Comic Book Couples Counseling TeePublic Merch Page.

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.

Jock on Absolute Batman 15 - Oh, that Joker

With the release of Absolute Batman #15 and the big reveal of Absolute Joker, we’re excited to welcome artist Jockonto the show for the first time. We would consider this comic an event even without the gnarly origin story at its center. This is also a big reunion for the artist and his writer collaborator, Scott Snyder. They’ve been delivering killer Batman comics since The Black Mirror, and have already re-invented the Joker concept in The Batman Who Laughs. However, the Absolute Universe allows them to swing for the fences in a way that the main continuity never could. And, as you’ll hear, this required a little recalibration from Jock.

Thankfully, Jock grew up consuming some of the most radical comics on the planet, 2000 AD. These Mega-City One stories, often featuring the iconic Judge Dredd, shaped Jock’s imagination and taught him the unique power of a visual narrative. They also revealed why we must never be too enamored of the characters and stories we adore.

Conformity is abhorrent. Toys are meant to be broken because that’s the direct result of good, continuous, serious play. If you keep them precious on the shelf, they get dusty and stiff. To understand characters like Batman and Judge Dredd, we must constantly redefine them, whittling them down to their defining characteristics.

We discuss with Jock how he had to recalibrate his idea of Batman and Joker before taking on Absolute Batman #15. We talk about his new 2000 AD release, The Art of Judge Dredd by Jock. We examine how 2000 AD continues to influence his work, including Absolute Joker, and how he crafts certain two-page spreads in this comic.

Absolute Batman #15 is out now from DC Comics. It’s written by Scott Snyder, illustrated by Jock, colored by Frank Martin, and lettered by Clayton Cowles. You can continue this conversation with Jock by following him on Blue Skyand Instagram.

This Week's Sponsors

Are you ready to face the future? Look no further than 2000 AD – it’s the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic! Every week 2000 AD brings 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 at your mailbox every week, and your first issue is free. You’ll also receive the HUNDRED PAGE 2000 AD Christmas Special this December at no extra cost! 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!

This Winter, from IDW Publishing, the Heroes in a Half-Shell take on the King of the Monsters! Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Godzilla #1 crashes into comic shops on November 12th. Written by Godzilla Kei-Sei Scribe Tim Seeley and illustrated by the brilliant Turtle artist behind the Nightwatcher series, as well as the Stranger Things/TMNT crossover, Fero Pe, this new series finally brings two of our favorite franchises together. How can this reptilian miracle be?  Long before the organization was corrupted by Shredder, the Foot Clan’s original purpose was to save Japan from Kaiju! Now, in the present day, Godzilla and its fellow monsters have reappeared. Not only is the Foot not prepared to stop them…it would seem Shredder himself is behind the attacks! The Turtles are always crossing over into rad nerd realms, but this one might be the king crossover of them all. 

Other Relevant Links to This Week's Episode:

• Subscribe to The Stacks, Comic Creators Name Their Favorite Comics

• Previously on CBCC: Daniel Warren Johnson on Absolute Batman Annual

• Previously on CBCC: Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta on Absolute Batman

• Comic Book Film Club: 30 Days of Night at the Alamo Drafthouse Winchester on 12/14

Final Round of Plugs (PHEW):

Support the Podcast by Joining OUR PATREON COMMUNITY.

The Comic Book Couples Counseling TeePublic Merch Page.

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.

Patrick McDonnell on The Gift of Everything

Sorry to inform you, friends, but it’s December already. The gift-giving season is here, and with it, if you’re at all like us, a month filled with tremendous anxiety. We may love putting together a Comic Book Holiday Gift Guide, but we stress profusely over the actual process of selecting and distributing gifts to our friends and family. Thankfully, just in time, we spoke with Mutts cartoonist Patrick McDonnell about his latest book, The Gift of Everything, which truly helped us center ourselves during a tumultuous moment.

Patrick McDonnell is one of our great living cartoonists. For more than thirty years, he has put everything of himself into his comic strip Mutts. It’s where he goes to understand the world around him, using characters like Mooch and Earl to contextualize what’s happening outside his panels and inside his very being. Reading his work, you get the impression that he’s figured something out that you have not, but is that actually the case? We get to the heart of everything in today’s conversation.

The Gift of Everything is out now from Little, Brown and Company. It’s a spiritual sequel to McDonnell’s The Gift of Nothing, which was published twenty years ago. It tells the desperate story of Mooch searching for the perfect gift for his pal Earl, and discovering exactly that, but not in the manner he expected.

Follow Mutts on Instagram, and sign up for the Daily Mutts strip HERE.

This Week's Sponsors

Are you ready to face the future? Look no further than 2000 AD – it’s the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic! Every week 2000 AD brings 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 at your mailbox every week, and your first issue is free. You’ll also receive the HUNDRED PAGE 2000 AD Christmas Special this December at no extra cost! 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!

This Winter, from IDW Publishing, the Heroes in a Half-Shell take on the King of the Monsters! Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Godzilla #1 crashes into comic shops on November 12th. Written by Godzilla Kei-Sei Scribe Tim Seeley and illustrated by the brilliant Turtle artist behind the Nightwatcher series, as well as the Stranger Things/TMNT crossover, Fero Pe, this new series finally brings two of our favorite franchises together. How can this reptilian miracle be?  Long before the organization was corrupted by Shredder, the Foot Clan’s original purpose was to save Japan from Kaiju! Now, in the present day, Godzilla and its fellow monsters have reappeared. Not only is the Foot not prepared to stop them…it would seem Shredder himself is behind the attacks! The Turtles are always crossing over into rad nerd realms, but this one might be the king crossover of them all. 

Other Relevant Links to This Week's Episode:

• Subscribe to The Stacks, Comic Creators Name Their Favorite Comics

• A CBCC Tribute to Lisa's Father

• Previously on CBCC: Patrick McDonnell on Guard Dog

• Watch Patrick McDonnell Inducted into the Harvey Hall of Fame

• Comic Book Film Club: 30 Days of Night at the Alamo Drafthouse Winchester on 12/14

Final Round of Plugs (PHEW):

Support the Podcast by Joining OUR PATREON COMMUNITY.

The Comic Book Couples Counseling TeePublic Merch Page.

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.

Adam Rose Talks Big Noir Energy and a Huge Detective

There are big swings, and then there are huge swings. Writer Adam Rose and artist Magenta King go for the fences with Huge Detective, a genre mashup mystery where giants roam the Earth and wind up dead like any other sacks of meat. The series was recently collected in a pretty trade paperback from Titan Comics, and it immediately had us craving sequels and sidequels. Where’s our Gyant/Bean romance? We’re ready for it.

We met Adam Rose earlier this year at San Diego Comic-Con, and bonded quickly over our love for the eighties cartoon series M.A.S.K. After a few minutes of chatting, we knew we wanted to get him on the show, and after a few months of wrangling our schedules, we finally made it happen. Unfortunately, we did not spend the entire time discussing how Matt Trakker is currently running through the panels of Joshua Williamson and Tom Reilly’s G.I. Joe comic. Next time, next time.

In this episode, we discuss Adam Rose’s love for fantasy and detective fiction. And we force him to choose his preferred genre. Our conversation explores the massive sandbox they’ve created in Huge Detective and the numerous other genres they could possibly explore in future comics. We make our case for romance. We consider Dollsville, too.

Huge Detective issues one through five are now available in trade paperback from Titan Comics. They’re written by Adam Rose, illustrated by Magenta King, colored by King and Minimone, and lettered by DC Hopkins. To continue this conversation, follow Adam Rose on Blue Sky and Instagram.

This Week's Sponsors

Are you ready to face the future? Look no further than 2000 AD – it’s the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic! Every week 2000 AD brings 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 at your mailbox every week, and your first issue is free. You’ll also receive the HUNDRED PAGE 2000 AD Christmas Special this December at no extra cost! 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!

This November, Event Horizon: Dark Descent, the terrifying comic book prequel series to the classic, 90s, hellraising sci-fi film, reaches its epic third issue, and if you always wanted to know the gory details about exactly what went down when the Event Horizon crew were transported to hell, this is the issue you cannot miss. From writer Christian Ward and artist Tristan Jones, Event Horizon: Dark Descent #3 lands in comic book shops on November 12th courtesy of IDW Publishing, with a killer cover by Jeffrey Alan Love and a variant cover by Chris Burnham. "The dead have appeared to me — and there is something else loose upon the ship. If you can hear me, it may be too late for you. LIBERA TE TUTEMET EX INFERIS!"

Other Relevant Links to This Week's Episode:

• Subscribe to The Stacks, Comic Creators Name Their Favorite Comics

• A CBCC Tribute to Lisa's Father

• Previously on CBCC: Grant Morrison on Batman/Deadpool

• Live at New York Comic Con: The Massive Comic Book Podcast Crossover

• Comic Book Film Club: 30 Days of Night at the Alamo Drafthouse Winchester on 12/14

Final Round of Plugs (PHEW):

Support the Podcast by Joining OUR PATREON COMMUNITY.

The Comic Book Couples Counseling TeePublic Merch Page.

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.

Tribute to a Father

Two weeks ago, Lisa lost her father. In August, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and the last three months have been some of the most harrowing days we’ve ever experienced. While we’ve hovered around this topic in recent episodes, we’ve avoided discussing it outright. Today, we were compelled to put it into record.

We’re not sure how much you want to engage with this story. If you choose to skip this one, we totally understand. Publishing right on its heels is a much more typical Comic Book Couples Counseling episode with writer Adam Rose, discussing his exceptionally strange comic, Huge Detective. It’s a fun one.

Lisa’s earliest encounters with comics were a direct result of her father's love for the funnies. He and his father would mail comics to each other across state lines. They’d hang on the fridge for months until they were replaced with more comics. Lisa’s last text exchange with her father was a laugh over an Ellis Rosen cartoon. Lisa’s humor and heart came from him, and if you’ve ever enjoyed our show at all, it’s because of Dad.

Cancer sucks. It’s a horror show. However, it also revealed the tremendous love coursing through our two families and all our friends who came together to support Lisa’s father. These last few months overflowed with as much laughter as tears, and this episode perfectly represents that maddening and beautiful juxtaposition.

For November and December, we will donate all proceeds from our TeePublic Shop and Patreon to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. You can also donate directly to them here.

Happy Thanksgiving, friends. Whether you listen to this episode, skip directly to the next one, or do neither, know that we appreciate you profoundly. Thanks for spending your time with us.

Other Relevant Links to This Week's Episode:

• Lisa's Father's Obituary

• Subscribe to The Stacks, Comic Creators Name Their Favorite Comics

• Previously on CBCC: Grant Morrison on Batman/Deadpool

• Live at New York Comic Con: The Massive Comic Book Podcast Crossover

• Comic Book Film Club: 30 Days of Night at the Alamo Drafthouse Winchester on 12/14

Final Round of Plugs (PHEW):

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.

Grant Morrison on Batman/Deadpool

Toward the end of our last conversation with Grant Morrison, they mentioned how they would soon be returning to comics, writing a new Batman story. We were ecstatic to hear, but we could not have possibly imagined that the new Batman story would actually be a DC/Marvel Comics crossover featuring the Hollywood darling Deadpool. Even better, it’s a reunion between Morrison and his Klaus collaborator, Dan Mora, which also features numerous backup stories by other rad creators, including Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, Joshua Williamson, Hayden Sherman, Tom Taylor, Bruno Redondo, Amanda Conner, G. Willow Wilson, and Denys Cowan. The comic is possibly the most surprising book of the year, but not as surprising as Morrison’s willingness to return to the show for an in-depth discussion all about it. You’re in for another treat, friends.

Our Grant Morrison Batman/Deadpool conversation is full-spoilers. You must read the comic before pressing play. If you read the book quickly, as our Brad did the first time, you’ll probably miss a great deal. The comic is crammed with Easter eggs and winks, many of which we eventually caught, and a few others we did not until Grant Morrison pointed them out to us.

Dan Mora and Grant Morrison’s Batman/Deadpool is very different from Greg Capullo and Zeb Wells’ Deadpool/Batman, which Marvel ran point on a few weeks ago. It’s a fun adventure, but it’s also a story commenting on comics, crossovers, and the writer/reader’s relationship with the fourth wall. Initially, the team-up between Batman and Deadpool felt a little cynical, and/or capitalistic - and it’s still that! However, given Grant Morrison’s relationship with Animal Man and smashing the fourth wall, Deadpool is kind of the perfect character for them. Batman/Deadpool also allows Grant Morrison to right a wrong that occurred in the pages of...well, read the comic first, will ya?

Dear listeners, welcome to Grant Morrisoin’s Revenge! We get into it with The Writer, discussing their initial idea for the crossover, their evolving relationship with the fourth wall, and what they hope for future DC and Marvel crossovers.

Batman/Deadpool #1 is out now from DC Comics. “The Cosmic Kiss Caper” is written by Grant Morrison, illustrated by Dan Mora, colored by Alejandro Sánchez, and lettered by Todd Klein. If you wish to continue this conversation with Morrison, follow them on their Website, Substack, Instagram, and Bluesky.

This Week's Sponsors

This November, Event Horizon: Dark Descent, the terrifying comic book prequel series to the classic, 90s, hellraising sci-fi film, reaches its epic third issue, and if you always wanted to know the gory details about exactly what went down when the Event Horizon crew were transported to hell, this is the issue you cannot miss. From writer Christian Ward and artist Tristan Jones, Event Horizon: Dark Descent #3 lands in comic book shops on November 12th courtesy of IDW Publishing, with a killer cover by Jeffrey Alan Love and a variant cover by Chris Burnham. "The dead have appeared to me — and there is something else loose upon the ship. If you can hear me, it may be too late for you. LIBERA TE TUTEMET EX INFERIS!"

Are you ready to face the future? Look no further than 2000 AD – it’s the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic! Every week 2000 AD brings 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 at your mailbox every week, and your first issue is free. You’ll also receive the HUNDRED PAGE 2000 AD Christmas Special this December at no extra cost! 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:

• Subscribe to The Stacks, Comic Creators Name Their Favorite Comics

• Previously on CBCC: Grant Morrison on All-Star Superman

• Live at New York Comic Con: The Massive Comic Book Podcast Crossover

Final Round of Plugs (PHEW):

Support the Podcast by Joining OUR PATREON COMMUNITY.

The Comic Book Couples Counseling TeePublic Merch Page.

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.

Live from New York Comic Con: The Massive Comic Book Podcast Crossover Event

A podcast doesn’t last without the support of its friends. We’re beyond grateful to fellow comic book maniacs like Badr Milligan of The Short Box, Chris Hacker and Aaron Knowles of The Oblivion Bar, and David Harper of Off Panel. Hopefully, you already subscribe to these shows, and if not, after this week’s episode, you will. In October, we assembled in the Javits Center basement during New York Comic Con in an effort to share our four unique vibes with a single crowd. Weeks later, you can now experience the MaCoBoPoCro Event (or, Massive Comic Book Podcast Crossover Event).

And, guess what? If video is your thing, you can actually watch the event on the Comic Book Couples Counseling YouTube page.

This Week's Sponsors

This November, Event Horizon: Dark Descent, the terrifying comic book prequel series to the classic, 90s, hellraising sci-fi film, reaches its epic third issue, and if you always wanted to know the gory details about exactly what went down when the Event Horizon crew were transported to hell, this is the issue you cannot miss. From writer Christian Ward and artist Tristan Jones, Event Horizon: Dark Descent #3 lands in comic book shops on November 12th courtesy of IDW Publishing, with a killer cover by Jeffrey Alan Love and a variant cover by Chris Burnham. "The dead have appeared to me — and there is something else loose upon the ship. If you can hear me, it may be too late for you. LIBERA TE TUTEMET EX INFERIS!"

Are you ready to face the future? Look no further than 2000 AD – it’s the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic! Every week 2000 AD brings 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 at your mailbox every week, and your first issue is free. You’ll also receive the HUNDRED PAGE 2000 AD Christmas Special this December at no extra cost! 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:

• Subscribe to The Stacks, Comic Creators Name Their Favorite Comics

• CBCC at NYCC: Michael Walsh and Tristan Jones

• CBCC at NYCC: Alex Firer and Fred C. Stressing

• CBCC at NYCC: The Doughboys

• CBCC at NYCC Watch The Harvey Awards on Popverse

• Comic Book Film Club 11/16 at 5 PM EST: The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp at the Winchester Alamo Drafthouse, co-sponsored by Four Color Fantasies

Final Round of Plugs (PHEW):

Support the Podcast by Joining OUR PATREON COMMUNITY.

The Comic Book Couples Counseling TeePublic Merch Page.

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.

NYCC '25 Dispatch: Michael Walsh and Tristan Jones

Every October, New York Comic Con (NYCC) rolls around. Normally, they don’t acknowledge their proximity to the spooky season, but this year, as crowds reached pre-pandemic sizes, they embraced Halloween. Cosplay took on a more deliciously grisly vibe, and we found ourselves feeling more ghoulish than usual, too. The conversations we sought ventured into bloodier tales of both good and bad natures.

Michael Walsh joined us in the Tiny Onion booth to explain the game design that birthed Exquisite Corpses, and how such play was influenced by his recent stint on Frankenstein. We met artist Tristan Jones upstairs in the infamous “Butter Corner,” where the IDW Publishing booth found itself this year. We discussed his collaboration with Christian Ward on the utterly surprising Event Horizon: Dark Descent series, and how he finally delivered what the movie only hinted at back in the nineties.

Exquisite Corpses Volume 1 is now available from Tiny Onion and Image Comics. Event Horizon: Dark Descent issues 1-2 are now available from IDW Publishing. Issue 3 arrives in comic book shops everywhere on November 12th. Follow Michael Walsh on Blue Sky and Instagram. Follow Tristan Jones on Blue Sky and Instagram.

This Week's Sponsors

This November, Event Horizon: Dark Descent, the terrifying comic book prequel series to the classic, 90s, hellraising sci-fi film, reaches its epic third issue, and if you always wanted to know the gory details about exactly what went down when the Event Horizon crew were transported to hell, this is the issue you cannot miss. From writer Christian Ward and artist Tristan Jones, Event Horizon: Dark Descent #3 lands in comic book shops on November 12th courtesy of IDW Publishing, with a killer cover by Jeffrey Alan Love and a variant cover by Chris Burnham. "The dead have appeared to me — and there is something else loose upon the ship. If you can hear me, it may be too late for you. LIBERA TE TUTEMET EX INFERIS!"

Are you ready to face the future? Look no further than 2000 AD – it’s the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic! Every week 2000 AD brings 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 at your mailbox every week, and your first issue is free. You’ll also receive the HUNDRED PAGE 2000 AD Christmas Special this December at no extra cost! 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:

• Subscribe to The Stacks, Comic Creators Name Their Favorite Comics

• Previously on CBCC: Christian Ward on Event Horizon: Dark Descent

• The Comics Crossover Event with The Short Box, Oblivion Bar, Off Panel, and CBCC

• Watch The Harvey Awards on Popverse

• Comic Book Film Club 11/16 at 5PM EST: The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp at the Winchester Alamo Drafthouse, co-sponsored by Four Color Fantasies

Final Round of Plugs (PHEW):

Support the Podcast by Joining OUR PATREON COMMUNITY.

The Comic Book Couples Counseling TeePublic Merch Page.

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.

Exclusive: Daniel Warren Johnson on Absolute Batman Annual

There’s zero doubt, Absolute Batman Annual #1 will be one of the year’s most talked-about comics. Featuring three stories by Daniel Warren Johnson, Mike Spicer, James Harren, Dave Stewart, Meredith McClaren, and Clayton Cowles, this hefty comic centers on the early Absolute Universe adventures of Bruce Wayne, revealing how that chonky Batmobile came to be, and just how Black Mask’s party animals first encountered the Dark Knight. We read the comic a couple of weeks back, and the instant we flipped that last page, we were compelled to get Daniel Warren Johnson into a Zoom room. Thankfully, he obliged.

Johnson’s untitled story makes up the bulk of the Absolute Batman Annual. It propels Absolute Batman against a white supremacist horde, showcasing some of the most brutal action from the ongoing series so far, while doing so in a way that questions that violence’s effectiveness. As Daniel Warren Johnson has showcased in other comics like Murder Falcon, Do a Powerbomb!, and his recent run on Transformers, badass, jaw-dropping visuals are only half his might as a creator. DWJ breaks hearts as often as he breaks bones.

“It’s in my blood and it’s boiling, and I have to get it out.”

In an exclusive conversation with Comic Book Couples Counseling, Johnson explains how his tale in the Absolute Batman Annual came to pass. We discuss his reluctance to contribute to the world so expertly crafted by Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta, and how one single image eventually caused him to put everything he had into this character and universe. Daniel Warren Johnson tells us why supplying only compelling, catastrophic action isn't enough for him as a storyteller. He requires more than an exclamation point to climax his stories. He needs a question.

Absolute Batman Annual is now available from DC Comics. Make sure you're following Daniel Warren Johnson on Blue Sky, Instagram, and his Website.

This Week's Sponsors

Judge Dredd Megazine turns thirty-five years old this October, and it’ll be celebrating with a very special issue perfect for first-time readers! Featuring the return of the critically acclaimed series Dreadnoughts and Megalopolis, this 100-page issue is a brilliant way to jump into the crazy world of 2000 AD. You’ll also find incredible new stories featuring Judge Dredd, Judge Anderson, and much more inside! Get a print subscription to the Megazine and it’ll arrive through your American mailbox every month – or get a combi subscription and receive 2000 AD each week as well! If you subscribe digitally, 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!

Launching this October, it’s the latest entry in IDW Publishing's Kei-Sei line of Godzilla comics: Starship Godzilla, a cosmic adventure. It’s written by award-winning scribe Chris Gooch (of In Utero fame) and illustrated by inventive artist Oliver Ono (I mean, come on, did you read their Godzilla: Monster Island Summer Camp? Insta-Classic). The Kai-Sei Era is the only ongoing Godzilla story of its kind, crafted for comics readers who have never bought a Godzilla book and Godzilla fans who have never read a comic. Starship Godzilla #1 is out now wherever rad comic books are sold.

Other Relevant Links to This Week's Episode:

• Subscribe to The Stacks, Comic Creators Name Their Favorite Comics

• Previously On CBCC: Daniel Warren Johnson Live at Now or Never Comics

• Previously On CBCC: Daniel Warren Johnson and Riley Rossmo on The Moon is Following Us

• Previously On CBCC: Daniel Warren Johnson on Transformers

• Previously On CBCC: Daniel Warren Johnson on Do a Powerbomb!

• Previously On CBCC: Daniel Warren Johnson on Beta Ray Bill

• Previously On CBCC: Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta on Absolute Batman

• The Comics Crossover Event with The Short Box, Oblivion Bar, Off Panel, and CBCC

• Watch The Harvey Awards on Popverse

Final Round of Plugs (PHEW):

Support the Podcast by Joining OUR PATREON COMMUNITY.

The Comic Book Couples Counseling TeePublic Merch Page.

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.

Kelley Jones and Matt Wagner Make a Feast Out of Dracula

We all crave a good meal. The challenge is savoring it once it's placed before you. Kelley Jones and Matt Wagner have wickedly, and delightfully, discovered a way to make Bram Stoker’s Dracula not one good dish, but three...and possibly four and five.

For the last several years, they’ve transformed the classic vampire novel into a feast impossible to gobble down in one sitting. By taking throwaway sentences in the book and building two graphic novels out of them (Dracula Book I: The Impaler, Dracula Book II: The Brides), they’ve miraculously extended their love affair with Vlad, and ours in the process as well.

Now, with Dracula Book III: The Count, which only has a week left on Kickstarter, Jones and Kelley properly excavate Bram Stoker’s book. This third entry tackles the iconic plot, but only from Count Dracula’s perspective. We all know this story from Jonathan Harker, Mina, and Van Helsing’s point of view, but how did the vicious beast at the center of their fear experience the whole endeavor? No more letters. Only the Count’s singular, hungry howl of self.

We’ve read and watched many Dracula adaptations, but none as exhaustive and creative as this. As a result, this week’s podcast had to match Jones and Wagner’s studious passion. All together, we dig deep into their previous entry, Dracula Book II: The Brides. We discuss how, in chaining themselves to Dracula’s perspective, they create unparalleled empathy for the monster and his godless pursuits. Is there danger in that?

Again, Dracula: The Count only has seven days left on its Kickstarter campaign. Please visit the crowdfunding project by clicking HERE. You can continue the conversation with Kelley Jones by visiting his Instagram. You can follow Matt Wagner on Blue Sky and Instagram.

This Week's Sponsors

Launching this October, it’s the latest entry in IDW Publishing's Kei-Sei line of Godzilla comics: Starship Godzilla, a cosmic adventure. It’s written by award-winning scribe Chris Gooch (of In Utero fame) and illustrated by inventive artist Oliver Ono (I mean, come on, did you read their Godzilla: Monster Island Summer Camp? Insta-Classic). The Kai-Sei Era is the only ongoing Godzilla story of its kind, crafted for comics readers who have never bought a Godzilla book and Godzilla fans who have never read a comic. Starship Godzilla #1 is out now wherever rad comic books are sold.

Judge Dredd Megazine turns thirty-five years old this October, and it’ll be celebrating with a very special issue perfect for first-time readers! Featuring the return of the critically acclaimed series Dreadnoughts and Megalopolis, this 100-page issue is a brilliant way to jump into the crazy world of 2000 AD. You’ll also find incredible new stories featuring Judge Dredd, Judge Anderson, and much more inside! Get a print subscription to the Megazine and it’ll arrive through your American mailbox every month – or get a combi subscription and receive 2000 AD each week as well! If you subscribe digitally, 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:

• Previously on CBCC: Kelley Jones and Matt Wagner on Dracula Book 1: The Impaler

• Subscribe to The Stacks, Comic Creators Name Their Favorite Comics

• Watch The Harvey Awards on Popverse

• NYCC 2025 Patreon Dispatch: Michael Walsh on Exquisite Corpses

• Grab Your Tickets for Addams Family Values on 10/26 at the Alamo Drafthouse Winchester, co-sponsored by Four Color Fantasies

Final Round of Plugs (PHEW):

Support the Podcast by Joining OUR PATREON COMMUNITY.

The Comic Book Couples Counseling TeePublic Merch Page.

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.