You may know Rodney Barnes from his Killadelphia series. Or you may be more familiar with him from his Star Wars comics. While we await Rodney Barnes' upcoming series Crownsville from Oni Press, give his Monarch miniseries from Image a go! It's a retelling of War Of The Worlds with a lot of heart!
Here's a chance to hear to the celebrated creator discuss what inspires him to craft his great stories for us!
Superstar Comic Book Creators Talk About The Things They Love (That Aren’t Comics)
on the All-New Superfan Podcast
Season 1 Debuts on September 19 with Peabody Award-winning Screenwriter and Producer Rodney Barnes Talking about Stephen King,
with Co-Hosts Christian Gossett, David Hyde, and Kristen Simon
Have
you ever wondered what inspires and fascinates the writers and artists
who create comics and graphic novels? Welcome to the Superfan Podcast,
where the people who make the comics you love talk about the things
that they love… that aren’t comics. Join co-hosts Christian Gossett (Story Artist, Eyes of Wakanda, The Red Star), Kristen
Simon (Executive Editor at Mad Cave Studios’ Nakama Press), and
Superfan Promotions founder David Hyde, as they launch an all-new
podcast series, where they’ll interview superstar comic book writers and
artists about what they’re passionate about — outside of comics.
The Superfan Podcast debuts on September 19 with a conversation with Peabody Award-winning screenwriter and producer Rodney Barnes (Killadelphia) talking about Stephen King. In the pilot episode, Barnes reflects on what makes for a seminal Stephen King story and what the King
of Horror’s novels reveal about American life. Barnes also opens up
about his own creative journey, which was forever transformed in
unexpected ways by his up-close and personal experience on the film The Green Mile, with his favorite novelist.
Season one of the Superfan Podcast includes an all-star line-up of award-winning writers and artists. Acclaimed comic book writer, novelist, and Emmy Award-winning screenwriter Marc Guggenheim (Star Wars: Jedi Knights) chats about growing up on Long Island obsessed with the music of Billy Joel. Eisner Award-winning and Hugo Award-nominated writer Kelly Sue DeConnick (Wonder Woman Historia) talks about being inspired by actor, director, screenwriter, and author Alan Alda — and her decision to get Alan Alda knuckle tattoos. Harvey Award-winning and New York Times bestselling cartoonist Matt Kindt (Mind MGMT) decodes the joy of John le Carré’s spy novels. Eisner Award-winning writer Marjorie Liu (Monstress) discusses being the keeper of a plant passed down for generations and why gardening is her obsession. And New York Times bestselling and Caldecott Honor-winning cartoonist (and former musician) Patrick McDonnell (Mutts) reveals why he’s fascinated by Frank Zappa. For
each episode, the co-hosts also share a conversation-appropriate
dessert recipe, as well as a cocktail and/or mocktail inspired by the
interview.
“Comic
book writers and artists are often asked the same questions over and
over,” said Hyde. "What's exciting for us – and for our guests – is that
we’re having a conversation that is freed from the usual promotional
constraints. One of the most rewarding parts of the podcast is that we
do a lot of preparation and research into the primary topic, but there’s
almost always an unexpected rabbit hole that leads to discussing
another passion altogether. These are deep dive dialogues — full of passion, memories, and mementos, and a lot of laughter.”
“As
co-hosts, we bring decidedly different sensibilities to the Superfan
Podcast,” said Kristen Simon. “As a comic book editor, I spend my days
unpacking stories, beat by beat. As a publicist, David Hyde is focused
on getting a book into the hands of the right journalist and then
getting that journalist to ask interesting questions. Concept and
Character Design has been Gossett’s specialty for most of his career.
Our different backgrounds inform our points of view on the podcast,
sometimes in unexpected ways, but what the three of us have in common is
that we’re curious people who really enjoy each other’s company, and
that sense of curiosity is central to the podcast.”
Gossett was the writer, artist, and creator of the hit Image Comics series The Red Star before
working on movies for George Lucas, Peter Jackson, and Tim Burton, and
directing television episodes for the CW network. He recently provided
story art for Netflix’s Twilight of the Gods and the Disney+ original animated series Eyes of Wakanda.
He is, arguably, best known for his radical concept drawing of a
double-bladed lightsaber, which was personally approved by George Lucas
and was later made famous as Darth Maul's signature weapon. For season
one of the Superfan Podcast, he has drawn portraits of each of the
guests.
“The
guest portraits are about trying to capture the moment and feel of our
freewheeling conversations,” said Gossett. “I’m less interested in
nailing an exact likeness, per se, than I am in capturing the vibe. This
is a podcast about joy and the excitement that comes from being a fan,
and we want to celebrate that feeling – on the show, with the portraits,
with the mid-century inspired logo, and with the Superfan theme song.”
The Superfan Podcast theme song is performed by the band Low in the Shag, featuring Daniel Shulman on bass, Sasha Brustinov on keyboards, Ziv Fisher on drums, Eric Garcia on guitar, Jacob Shulman on saxophone, and Derek Zimmerman on percussion. The song was written by Daniel Shulman, who has played bass for Garbage and is currently performing with The Halloween Jack, alongside Gilby Clarke (Guns N' Roses), Stephen Perkins (Jane’s Addiction), and Eric Dover (Alice Cooper).
The
Superfan Podcast is a production of Superfan Media. Season One’s
episodes have been edited by Bryant Dillon with production help by Fanbase Press,
who are title sponsors of Season One’s episodes. The Superfan Podcast
logo is designed by Criswell Lappin, former Creative Director of the
legendary Metropolis Magazine, whose design work can be seen at criswelllappin.com.
“We’ve
been quietly working on the podcast for quite some time, bringing
together an incredible group of talented people,” said Hyde. “Our goal
from day one is to create something unique, something fun and joyous.
The idea is that these might be the conversations you’d overhear at a
great party – and everyone’s invited."
You can listen to the Superfan Podcast via:
For more information, follow the Superfan Podcast on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube and visit https://superfanmedia.net. For behind-the-scenes information, dessert and cocktail recipes, and show notes, follow the Superfan Signal Substack, which will have paid subscriber-only content.
About the Superfan Podcast Co-Hosts
Christian Gossett is a writer, artist, and the creator of the hit Image Comics series The Red Star. He
is currently at work writing an eagerly anticipated manga for Mad Cave
Studios/Nakama Press. At the age of 23, Gossett’s radical concept
drawing of a 'double-bladed lightsaber' was personally approved by George Lucas. Seven years later, this design would be made famous as Darth Maul's signature weapon in THE PHANTOM MENACE. He
recently provided story art for Netflix’s TWILIGHT OF THE GODS and
Marvel's much-anticipated Disney+ original animated series EYES OF
WAKANDA.
Gossett
has worked on movies for George Lucas, Peter Jackson, and Tim Burton,
directed television episodes for the CW network, and, as a video game
scribe, wrote dialogue for Bruce Willis and Bruce Campbell for
Activision. But his first job in entertainment was at the age of 13,
where he was the official announcer and scorekeeper for his Little
League. This job taught him how to thrill live audiences (and keep
detailed stats). He has worked in storytelling professionally ever
since.
Kristen Simon is
a comics industry veteran with over 20 years experience in editorial
and events. Kris is currently an Executive Editor at Mad Cave Studios,
where she oversees their manga imprint, Nakama Press.
Previously,
Kris was a Group Editor at IDW Publishing, where she also oversaw their
new initiatives. At mobile video game companies Netmarble F&C and
Com2uS Corp, she was the Editor in Chief, and Managing Editor,
respectively, where she oversaw translating their gaming IP’s, such as Summoners War,
into comics, webtoons, motion comics, and webnovels. She also ran her
own events company called GeekChic Promotions, where she was in charge
of events and panel programming for clients such as Skybound
Entertainment, Long Beach Comic Con, Comic Con Revolution, and Los
Angeles-local comics industry parties. Concurrently, she was the co-host
of a popular YouTube show called “Nerd Rage,” which ran weekly from
2017-2020. Kris’s career in comics began with her getting a book called Small Gods accepted at Image Comics in 2003, which led to becoming the Editor in Chief of Image partner studios Shadowline Comics (Morning Glories) and Silverline Books (Dear Dracula), from 2005-2010. She also had a comic book character created based on her likeness, Editor Girl, who first appeared in the Bomb Queen IV: Suicide Bomber series in 2008.
David Hyde is a publishing and comic book industry veteran, who in his career has promoted one
of the legendary independent bookstores in the United States (the
Tattered Cover Bookstore in Denver), acclaimed novelists (for Vintage
Books, including James Ellroy, Jonathan Lethem, Alexander McCall Smith,
Haruki Murakami, and Richard Russo), and some of the world’s greatest
superheroes (at DC Comics). In 2013, following nine years running the publicity office of DC Comics, he founded Superfan Promotions.
At
Superfan Promotions, David and the Superfan Promotions team have
collaborated with superstar creators like Tracey Butler, Gurihiru,
Leslie Hung, Shing Yin Khor, Matt Kindt, Bryan Lee O’Malley, Marjorie
Liu, Jeff Lemire, Mike Mignola, Jimmy Palmiotti, Paul Pope, Eric Powell,
Joe Quesada, Alex Ross, Samuel Sattin, Scott Snyder, Spike Trotman, and
Chip Zdarsky, novelists such as Margaret Atwood, Christopher Golden and
Chuck Palahniuk, and the painter Aron Weisenfeld. Superfan Promotions has worked with and consulted for international publishers and platforms, including Humanoids, Immortal Studios, Irodori Comics, Kickstarter, and Pixiv,
and promoted properties including Cult of the Lamb, Fight Club,
Godzilla, Kolchak, Marvel Comics, Peanuts, The Prisoner, Scott Pilgrim,
and Star Wars. Superfan Promotions has also publicized
and consulted on over 100 successful crowdfunding campaigns, including
high-profile campaigns for animation, documentaries, and action figures,
and several of the most popular comic campaigns of all time.
Current
Superfan Promotions clients include Abrams Comic Arts, AHOY Comics,
Amazing Comics, Bit Bot Media, Clover Press, Comixology, Dark Horse
Comics, Fantagraphics, the Folio Society, Kodansha, Ink On Paper, Lerner
Books, Monstrous Books, Oni Press, and Philippe Labaune Gallery.
About Fanbase Press
As
a GLAAD Media Award-winning and an Eisner and Harvey Awards-nominated
comic book publisher and media outlet, Fanbase Press produces new and
distinctive works, as well as daily reviews, interviews, and podcasts,
that span the pop culture spectrum and give voice to the themes, ideals,
and people that make geekdom so exceptional. Fanbase Press’ graphic
novels include the 2024 GLAAD Media Award-winning Four-Color Heroes, 2023 Eisner and Harvey Award-nominated Ripple Effects, 2018 Eisner Award-nominated Quince, and the 2022 International Latino Book Award-winning Nuclear Power.
About Low in the Shag
Sasha Brustinov is
a pianist, producer, and film composer with a deep passion for music
and cinematic storytelling. His musical interests span from beat-making,
soul, and jazz to experimental and ambient soundscapes. Always eager to
expand his horizons, Sasha remains dedicated to exploring new sounds
and contributing to the artistic communities that inspire him.
Ziv Fisher, a
Los Angeles-based drummer and composer, is happiest behind the kit,
keeping the groove steady and letting the melodies shine. No spotlight
needed—just the drums, the rhythm, and the music.”
Eric Garcia started
his engineering life as a programmer for the Record Business, helping
artists sing in tune and play in time. Twenty years ago, he gravitated
to post production first as an Avid editor and then back into audio as a
mixer, sound designer, and composer. Eric opened 48 Windows in the
early 90’s as a single room facility in Hollywood. Starting in the
analog world, he saw the future of digital recording when it first
began, and plunged in headfirst, and has never looked back. In addition
to his sound design, producing, and mixing talents, Eric is an
accomplished guitar player (with jazz and blues tendencies) who’s begun
to explore the world of bluegrass and spends most of his spare time
leading club jams. You can find his acoustic music on his YouTube channel.
Performing on his first multi-platinum record, "Raising Hell" by RUN DMC, when he was still a teenager, Daniel Shulman has
extensive experience in the entertainment business as a composer, music
supervisor, A&R man, producer, songwriter, and musician. He was a
bassist for the rock group Garbage, playing on four extensive world
tours. He also worked as a producer, songwriter, and musician on many
multi-platinum records, including "Regulate - The G Funk Era" by Warren
G, "Version 2.0" and "Beautiful Garbage" by Garbage, and RUN DMC's
"Tougher Than Leather", and "Down With The King". Daniel toured and
recorded with multi-platinum, Grammy award-winning
writer/producer/musician Greg Kurstin’s band Action Figure Party and
played on Grammy-nominated, top 10 artist Meredith Brooks's album
"Shine".
Daniel
has also written music for films (including "Sunny Day" by Sophie
Muller, which is part of Al Gore's Live Earth and Goodsam and Max by
South Park animator Gil Nevo, starring Tanya Raymonde from the TV show
Lost), a number of television shows (including Desperate Housewives) and
plays (including "Secrets", which played for 2 million people in
California). He was a Director of A&R for the Island/Def Jam Music
Group and worked as a music supervisor for Zambezi Ink and the Los
Angeles Lakers. He’s also worked for an independent A&R company
called Taxi Music and played bass in a musical comedy act called The Dan
Band.
Daniel
is playing bass in a Glam Rock band called The Halloween Jack with
Gilby Clarke (Guns N Roses), Stephen Perkins (Jane’s Addiction), and
Eric Dover (Alice Cooper) and writing, producing and recording with his
new group Low in the Shag.
Jacob Shulman is
a saxophonist, composer, and teacher from Los Angeles. He plays and
writes jazz, composes classical music and opera, and programs computer
music in SuperCollider. He releases recordings on the Brooklyn-based
label Endectomorph Music. His most recent recordings, High Firmament and Ferment Below [Feb. 29, 2024], feature a novel studio technique. Learn more at jacobshulmanmusic.com.
Derek Zimmerman is
a native Angeleno whose musical roots run deep. Growing up in the LA
punk rock scene of the early ’80s, he absorbed the raw energy of the
movement while his mother’s love of jazz and Latin music opened his ears
to a world of rhythm and melody. By high school, he was already working
as a professional drummer, later attending Cal State Northridge where
he discovered a passion for hand percussion. His career took him across
the globe, touring with Grammy-winning new age artist Kitaro and pop
vocalist Jennifer Paige, while freelancing live and in studios
throughout Los Angeles. Eventually, he transitioned into the business
side of music, where he now manages LP (Latin Percussion) — the market
leader in hand percussion — bringing his deep performer’s perspective to
one of the most iconic brands in the industry. From punk clubs to world
stages, Derek Zimmerman’s journey reflects a lifelong dedication to
rhythm, culture, and the art of percussion.
About Criswell Lappin
Criswell Lappin is a
creative and strategic design leader, consultant, and teacher with over
20 years of experience building high-performing teams and shaping
innovative collaboration systems. He currently consults with a wide
variety of design clients including St. Joseph’s Health, the media
research group Harmony Labs, and the enterprise software company
Britive. As the former SVP of Product Design at Bigtincan, he built a
multi-disciplinary product design and research team from the ground up,
helping drive over 500% ARR growth and earning the company recognition
as a Fast Company Top 10 Most Innovative Company in Enterprise Tech.
Throughout
his career, Criswell has led design strategy for major enterprise
platforms, developed comprehensive design systems, and mentored hundreds
of designers and researchers. His expertise spans product strategy,
user experience design, and team leadership. He has had leadership roles
at Ingage, Fahrenheit 212, Institute of Play, Metropolis magazine, and
Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum and has worked closely with
enterprise clients like Apple, VMware, and Cardinal Health.
As
an educator, Criswell served as an Adjunct Professor at the School of
Visual Arts for a decade, co-creating a graduate curriculum and
collaborating with corporate sponsors like Capital One, Google, and
Deloitte. He currently teaches at Montclair State University and Stevens
Institute of Technology.
Criswell
holds an MFA in Design from Rhode Island School of Design, a BFA in
Design and BSeD in Art Education from Western Carolina University and
brings a unique combination of strategic thinking, creative leadership,
and commitment to fostering inclusive environments where design talent
thrives. He is a father of two boys and enjoys volleyball, golf,
baseball cards, and traveling.
Thanks to Superfan Promotions for sharing this announcement with us.
