Today, I'm thrilled to be joined by artist Asia Simone! We talk about being inspired by animation, what she hopes to leave readers feeling from her work, and how she's balancing being a teacher with her pursuit of a career as an artist.

About Asia:

Asia Simone received her BFA in Illustration and minor in creative writing from the University of the Arts. She’s a digital artist whose love for animation and comics/manga can be seen in her work, including her newest graphic novel release, Marvel’s Moon Girl And Devil Dinosaur: Wreck And Roll.

Asia's goal is always to draw whimsically expressive characters and create stories and worlds that feel magical, whether contemporary or not. Her love for character acting can be seen in her co-illustrated middle-grade book, Pack Your Bags, Maggie Diaz. She uses vibrant colors, shapes, and light to express fantasy in reality and to showcase positive representations of underrepresented people and stories.

With two books under her name, Asia continues to develop her sense of storytelling with personal comics and characters she continues to create. Keep up with her latest on IG: @asia_simone405 or Twitter: asiasimone405

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Badr Milligan from The Short Box: A Comic Book Talk Show is one of my favorite interviewers. And like a true interviewer, he took over this episode midway through. Listen to find out:

• Why Badr is so passionate about Podcasting
• How Badr got into comics
• How my love for underground rap led directly to this comics gig
• How we singlehandedly fixed Comic Book Marketing

Also, I promise to never mention my grandmother's house comic origin again after this episode. I'm retiring the story! lol

About The Short Box:

The Short Box is the best way to get your weekly dose of comic shop vibes without ever leaving the house! Join The Short Box every Wednesday, for news, reviews, and interviews about comic books and comic culture, and hear exclusive chats with the top comic creators in the world. Hosted by Badr Milligan, and friends.

Join the Short Box Nation on Patreon.com/theshortbox to listen to bonus episodes and get other exclusive benefits!

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Today, I'm joined by not one, but TWO awesome guests! Amanda Deibert & Cat Staggs have worked together many times (despite my rookie question to start the episode), and they're teaming up once again on The Powerpuff Girls Halloween Special #1, out 10/23 from Dynamite Entertainment.

I ask the pair what it's like being coworkers in the same house, how they each navigate separate careers in comics, and what we can expect from their Powerpuff Girls story.

About Amanda Deibert:

Amanda Deibert is a New York Times bestselling comic book and television writer. Her comic book writing includes DC Super Hero Girls: Weird Science, DC Super Hero Girls: Infinite Frenemies, Teen Titans Go!, Wonder Woman '77, Batman and Harley Quinn, Flash Facts, DC's The Doomed and the Damned, Wonderful Women of History, Sensation Comics Featuring Wonder Woman, and Love is Love (New York Times #1 Bestseller) for DC Comics, stories in John Carpenter's Tales for A Halloween Night volumes 2, 3, 4, 5, & 6 for Storm King Comics, and more. She is currently writing for the animated series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe for Netflix. Other TV credits include work for CBS, SyFy, OWN, PIVOT, HULU, and four years as writer for former Vice President Al Gore's international climate broadcast, 24 Hours of Reality.

About Cat Staggs:

Cat is an artist best known for her work on the New York Times Bestselling title Smallville Season 11 from DC Comics and Crosswind with Gail Simone for Image Comics. Currently working on John Carpenter’s Tales of Halloween Night Vol. 6 with Amanda Deibert and Frank Tieri (Storm King Comics). Recently she completed Joker/Harley Criminal Sanity-Secret Files #1 with Kami Garcia(DC Titles). She has also worked on popular titles like Death of Superman with Louise Simonson(DC Comics), Adventures of Supergirl (DC Comics), Wonder Woman ‘77 (DC Comics), X-Files and Orphan Black (IDW), Sensation Comics featuring Wonder Woman (DC), The Vampire Diaries (DC), Phantom Lady and Doll Man (DC), Star Trek (IDW), Tales For A Halloween Night Vol. 1-5 (Storm King), and over ten years in the Star Wars universe with Lucasfilm. In 2017 a one of a kind original Wonder Woman piece was inducted to the Library of Congress by Lynda Carter along with Wonder Woman '77 Vol 1.

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Today, I'm delighted to speak with artist Anna Morozova! You may recognize her work from 2000AD and Judge Dredd comics, but she recently made her American comics debut with Barbarella #1 from Dynamite Entertainment! Check out this interview to hear how Anna left behind the prospect of a lucrative tech career to follow her passion instead, the types of comics she loves to read, and what she hopes to acheive with Blake Northcott on Barbarella.

About Anna:

Anna Morozova is a comics artist and illustrator currently working for 2000 AD and the Treasury of British Comics in the UK plus Glarien in the US. Her published work includes Future Shocks, Terror Tales, Tales from the Black Museum, Judge Anderson, Viva Forever, Lowborn High and Rocky of the Rovers for Rebellion, plus the creator owned Star-Nav written by Alan Hebden and published in the Pandora comic anthology.

She has previously worked for Comichaus, DC Thomson Heritage Comics, ODEON Luxe/Engine Mischief PR, Panini, University of Dundee and the Scottish Government.

She holds an MDes in Comics and Graphic Novels and a BSc in Digital Interaction Design, both from the University of Dundee.

For more from Anna, visit http://annamorozova.uk

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Back in Episode 37, we welcomed former Marvel editor Chris Robinson to the show. We spoke about the role of an editor, the innovations Chris brought to Marvel, and the work it took to publish the Eisner-winning All-Negro Comics 75th Anniversary Hardcover.

Today, Chris returns to talk about his journey as a writer, crowdfunding Werewolf Frankenstein (out in the Direct Market now via Zombie Love Studios), and returning for Bride of Werewolf Frankenstein, a campaign coming just in time for spooky season!

Back 'Bride of Werewolf Frankenstein' here.

About Chris:

Somewhere between creative and corporate is a no-man’s land where Chris Robinson guides content creators and content publishers through the wilderness of storytelling! He’s worked with the biggest IP in the world—story editing and art directing new characters, premises, and initiatives to critical and commercial success.

Some books he’s worked on have won the prestigious Eisner Award—the Oscars of graphic novel publishing—like Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand, The Vision, and Black Panther: World of Wakanda. He’s been part of Eisner-nominated projects too, like X-Men: Grand Design, X-Men: Grand Design-Second Genesis, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, and The Mighty Thor.

Born and raised in Queens, Chris has been going to the Lemon Ice King for over thirty years and still only gets cherry.

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Joe Casey stops by to talk about his storied career, coming up with a fresh take on an animation classic with Jonny Quest, and his appreciation for the new guard of comics media. Jonny Quest is available at your local comic shop now! Issue 3 drops October 9th!

About Joe:

Joe Casey is an American comic book writer. He has worked on titles such as Wildcats 3.0, Uncanny X-Men, The Intimates, Adventures of Superman, and G.I. Joe: America's Elite among others. As part of the comics creator group Man of Action Studios, Casey is one of the creators of the animated series Ben 10.

This episode is sponsored by GlobalComix, the best comics reader app for indies. Get 33% off your 1-year subscription with promo code 'GCXBJKICKS' at checkout!

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When I see the words "Color Artist" in the credits of a comic, Rico Renzi is the first name that comes to mind. While my first exposure to his work was Bitter Root (he was good enough to be the only white guy on the creative team), he's probably most famous for co-creating my daughter's favorite character Spider-Gwen. If you haven't seen his colors, that's the book I'd start with.

Today, Rico stops by to talk about his approach to the art of color, how he broke into the comics industry, and what he plans to do now that he's fully cemented.

This conversation wouldn't be possible without our late cohost Skipntosh, so this episode is dedicated to him. We miss you, Curtis.

About Rico:

Rico Renzi is a color artist and designer from Washington D.C.. His work has appeared in WIRED and Fast Company Magazines, and various publications from D.C., Marvel, Image, Dark Horse, Scholastic, Boom Studios, Oni Press and IDW. He currently resides in Charlotte, North Carolina with his wife and daughter.

Check out his designs at http://www.nolongermint.com

Follow Rico on IG: @whoisrico

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The Valiant Universe is going through a major resurgence! Today, I'm talking with 2 of the architects of this massive event. Call your shop to preorder, because things start heating up next Wednesday, 9/18!

Follow Fred on Twitter: https://x.com/fredvanlente

Follow AJ on Twitter: https://x.com/EarthtoneKing

Alien Books is set to dramatically alter the Valiant Universe this September beginning with the can't-miss crossover comic book RESURGENCE OF THE VALIANT UNIVERSE #1! Written by the team of co-writers Becky Cloonan and Michael W. Conrad with art by Guillermo Fajardo, the 4-issue mini-series will follow iconic Valiant heroes including X-O Manowar, Bloodshot, Eternal Warrior, Ninjak, Ivar, Rai, Livewire, Faith and more through a world they no longer recognize as the villainous Dr. Silk rewrites the rules of heroism, governance, and death itself. "RESURGENCE represents a huge moment for both Alien Books and Valiant Comics," explains Alien Books Director Matias Timarchi. "We're adamant about publishing meaningful comics that readers will enjoy and that retailers can feel confident stocking on their shelves. We want everyone to feel excited about reading superhero comics again and RESURGENCE is the first part of our plan to reignite that passion."

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