Portrait of an Editor

Will and I talk about editors delivering bad news to creators, including canceling books, firings, and passing on pitches. Portrait of an Editor has a sponsor: Magic Mind, an excellent productivity elixir. The show's discounts are available at https://www.magicmind.co/portraitofaneditor with discount code ANTIX20.

In this Portrait of an Editor, Dave Wielgosz discusses his move from the East Coast to the West Coast and his journey from editor to writer. Along the way, we cover what could help you become an editor at DC Comics or Marvel and the support he got from his folks in his hometown. Dave let me ramble on about my obsession with DC's 80-page Giants and the importance of short stories like them for a writer's profile and for an editor to test talent. Portrait of an Editor has a sponsor: Magic Mind, an excellent productivity elixir. The show's discounts are available at https://www.magicmind.co/portraitofaneditor with discount code ANTIX20.

This ep covers a lot! Will Dennis and I address one of the core reasons for this podcast by discussing Roy Thomas taking co-creator credit for Wolverine and Will's own experiences with creator-owned material, specifically the origins of Vertigo's SCALPED. We also discuss deadlines and how Batman's penis changed the course of DC's Black Label. Portrait of an Editor has a sponsor: Magic Mind, an excellent productivity elixir. The show's discounts are available at https://www.magicmind.co/portraitofaneditor with discount code ANTIX20. The code is valid forever and offers 20% off one-time purchases and subscriptions.

The Dead the Damned could be 2024's theme for the comics industry. For now, it's the title of Goats Flying Press's first release. After a two-year break, I talked with Sebastian Girner about his new publishing venture, Goats Fly Press, and whether it was a smart idea to launch a new company during these crazy times for comic book publishing. Sebastian really gets into the details about his present and future plans and the attitude he's taking. It's an honest and optimistic conversation. We even try to figure out if Marvel and DC Comics are relevant nowadays. Portrait of an Editor has a sponsor: Magic Mind, an excellent productivity elixir. The show's discounts are available at https://www.magicmind.co/portraitofaneditor with discount code ANTIX20. The code is valid forever and offers 20% off one-time purchases and subscriptions.

I've heard many people say no one buys comic book anthologies. Well, that might not be so true. For several years, DC Comics has had a successful run with its 80-Page Giant seasonal anthologies. Alex Antone, who edited some of the earlier issues, joined me in discussing why these anthologies are so fun and successful. Portrait of an Editor has a sponsor: Magic Mind, an excellent productivity elixir. The show's discounts are available at https://www.magicmind.co/portraitofaneditor with discount code ANTIX20. The code is valid forever and offers 20% off one-time purchases and subscriptions.

Here's a bonus interview with Amanda Meadows about Fairsquare Comics' new Kickstarter project -- Mutiny: Black Girl Magick. A heads-up. This ep contains two or three f-bombs. Mutiny Black Girl Magick Kickstarter Page https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1hitwonder/mutiny-black-girl-magik1/comments

Will Dennis and I connect to talk about a few things 2023 and a few things 2024. We cover NYCC 2023, Thought Bubble, Roger Stern, Will's favorite comic of 2023, Moonshine, the loss of editorial institutional knowledge, and the demise of comics in 2024.

Post San Diego Comic-Con 2023, I had a great conversation with Denton Tipton about the new version of Magma Comix. We cover Denton's and Magma's past, present, and future and what keeps him going through the ups and downs that come with working comic books.

First, DSTRLY's anthology, THE DEVIL'S CUT, which Will Dennis discusses in this ep, was released last week. So scoop up your copy before it sells out. Along with talking about 2023's San Diego Comic-Con, we also review Will's past and discuss his future with Comixology, the digital vs. physical reading experience, being part of yet another Eisner win, and the success of DSTERLY's booth. Finally, Will reveals "the magic sauce" needed for a publishing start-up to go from a conversation to a booth at San Diego in one year.

SDCC2023, Barcon, John Byrne, COVID, BARNSTORMERS, Fabio Moon, and we spent some serious time discussing all the covers for DSTRLY's Devil's Cut and how they came to be. (FYI - This was recorded a bit before the SAG-AFTRA strike.)

Robyn Chapman discusses her work on First Second's release of HOMICIDE: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL, which is an adaptation of David Simon's nonfiction book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets, which also was the source material for the award-winning TV show Homicide: Life on the Streets. Robyn provides some great info on the unique journey Philippe Squarzoni's detailed adaptation took from the States to France and back. She also details all the hard work the First Second crew did to realize this impressive two-part graphic novel.

My quick tour of Marvel's Avengers Heroes office wraps up. This time I talked with Annalise Bissa about her career's progress from intern to editor. By discussing her background, mentors, and various responsibilities at the House of Ideas for the past few years, she provides an excellent overview of how her take on editing has developed.

Marvel's Executive Editor Tom Brevoort and I discuss the genesis, execution, and response to two unique Marvel series--AVENGERS BEYOND and NAMOR: CONQUERED SHORES. Tom explains why Marvel's Two-In-One and Team-Up series might not work in today's market. Also, we talk about the unique campaign to save Spider-Girl that her extraordinary fans managed to pull off.

First, a huge congratulations to Alex Segura for winning the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books Prize for the Mystery/Thriller category for SECRET IDENTITY. As for this interview, it's a companion piece to my interview with Cliff Chiang, in which I get to talk with a former editor and see how their days as an editor influenced their creative process today as a writer. Also, of course, we talk about SECRET IDENTITY, and Alex provides hints about his next novel's storyline.

No intro with this episode of CROPPED because I wanted to jump right into the Q&A with Will Dennis about his role with DSTLRY. And I asked him to explain what the hell is a Founding Editor.

Comixology Originals' EDGEWORLD relaunched a few months back. Three new issues from this new arc are already available. I caught up with series writer and co-creator Chuck Austen to discuss this arc's direction. Of course, sticking with the show's central theme, Chuck and I discuss Felix Horne's editorial contributions to what Chuck, Patrick Olliffe, Lee Loughridge, and Jodi Wynne have delivered. We also discuss how binge watching has changed writers' approaches to scripting and pitching.

Will Dennis and I journey down memory lane and review the nine issues of Captain America (#247 to #255) that Roger Stern and John Byrne pretty much teased readers with in 1980. We ask "What If" and "What Could Have Been" a lot regarding their way too short run on Cap.

I had a great talk with Cliff Chiang in which we discussed how his editing work at Vertigo Comics reverberates throughout his career right up to CATWOMAN: LONELY CITY. He also dived into the creative and somewhat laborious process he took to make Lonely City.

After Will Dennis and I realized we hadn't recorded a CROPPED since before New York Comic Con, we jumped into reviewing 2022 and pondered what would happen in 2023. Hey, it's only February, so we can talk about 2023 still. Will examines how his panel, How Not to Succeed in Comics, did on its inaugural tour of the convention circuit. We all talk about WYTCHES on Amazon. We also cover Will's reading list for 2022 and his obsession with WARHAMMER.

In part 3 of my talk with Andy Khouri, we wrap up our talk about the early days of DC's Black Label and move on to his editing chores on DC's relaunch of Vertigo and working on the Young Animal pop-up imprint. We discuss FAR SECTOR and its place in the Green Lanterns mythos. Finally, he talks about the challenges of editing a creator-owned book compared to a DC Universe book, and we get to the lightning round.