SDCC 2023: Jamie Lee Curtis, Russell Goldman, and Karl Stevens on Mother Nature

The path Mother Nature took to its sequential form is beautifully compelling. When Jamie Lee Curtis was nineteen, an angry story of global catastrophe and corporate greed took root. Time would pass, and along with her co-writer Russell Goldman, she would mold it into a potential movie. Her eventual friendship with New Yorker cartoonist (and former CBCC guest) Karl Stevens would ultimately yield the new graphic novel from Titan Comics.

Curtis never imagined herself as a comic creator, but here she is, and she couldn't have been more thrilled to attend the San Diego Comic-Con International as one. We spoke with all three Mother Nature collaborators on the convention's second day. They were eager to share the book with us, making sure we had a physical copy in our hands, not satisfied with our PDF preview experience. It's one thing to see a comic on a screen; it's another to hold within your mitts.

Mother Nature is a violently urgent comic. It's a supernatural revenge story in which a young woman goes on the attack against the oil organization that casually killed her father. Stevens illustrates numerous bits of bloody gore, and we chat with the creators about why this story had to be as gnarly as it is. 

The world is on fire, and she's furious. Don't believe the corporate narrative, maternity is defensive, and when it needs to be, it's vicious. While we devour the ground beneath our feet, the ground retaliates, and Earth's vengeance is as brutal as anything you've seen in a horror movie.

Also, in this episode, we discuss our time inside the San Diego Comic-Con Museum, reviewing the current Animation Academy and Stan Lee exhibits. We extensively discuss our time outside the convention, visiting the best comic book shops in San Diego.

Mother Nature arrives in comic shops on August 8th. You can find your nearest store HERE.

You can find Karl Stevens on Twitter HERE and on Instagram HERE. Jamie Lee Curtis is on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. You can find Russell Goldman on Twitter, Instagram, and his Website.

Check out our previous conversation with Karl Stevens HERE, discussing his graphic novel, Penny.

Other Relevant SDCC Links:

• Erik Burnham on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
• Julie Sakai and Stan Sakai on Usagi Yojimbo
• Chris Condon and Jacob Phillips on The Enfield Gang Massacre
• Adrian Tomine on Shortcomings
• Paul Cornell on Con and On

And, if you haven't already, now's the time to join our Patreon, where superstar cartoonist Daniel Warren Johnson just recorded an epic chat with us about his favorite single-issue comic, The 'Nam #9. It's all part of our new Patreon podcast series, where we ask cool comic book creators to choose their favorite floppy comic.

FINAL ROUND OF PLUGS (PHEW):

Don't forget to grab your tickets for our August 27th Alamo Drafthouse Winchester screening of The Mask, co-sponsored by Four Color Fantasies and featuring a Tradd Moore in-person introduction.

Don't forget! Watch the latest episode of The B&B Show, where Brad and Bryan Review the Hottest Cinematic Releases.

And, of course, follow Comic Book Couples Counseling on Facebook, on Instagram, and on Twitter @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 Aaron Prescott @acoolhandfluke, podcast banner art by @Karen_XmenFan.