John McCrea Horror and Hitman's return

artie franco and his son nick join me . kickstarters , con reports, celeb encounters,  and that sense of fall in the air

The Boulet Brothers are celebrating a major milestone as The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula turns 10 years old. Now heading into its seventh season, the series returns October 23rd on Shudder, continuing its singular mix of drag, horror, glamour, and the grotesque that has made it a cult phenomenon.But this conversation goes well beyond Dragula. Dracmorda and Swanthula are also lifelong comic-book fans, and we spend a lot of time digging into that side of their fandom. The characters, creators, horror comics, superheroes, and visual storytelling that helped shape their imaginations. We talk about the crossover between comics, horror, drag, and pop culture, along with what they’ve got planned as Dragula enters its second decade.

Marc Scott Zicree has spent decades thinking about science fiction. Where it’s been, where it’s going, and how you actually get it made.For generations of fans, Marc is perhaps best known as the author of The Twilight Zone Companion, the landmark guide to Rod Serling’s classic series that helped establish serious episode-by-episode scholarship about The Twilight Zone.But Marc is also a veteran television writer whose credits stretch across genre television, including Star Trek: The Next Generation, where he originated the story for “First Contact,” and Deep Space Nine, where he wrote the story for the acclaimed “Far Beyond the Stars.”In recent years, Marc has put that experience into building his own science-fiction universe with Space Command, creating and producing ambitious independent productions such as Space Command: Redemption and Space Command: Forgiveness outside the traditional studio system.And now he’s taking that idea even further with a new Kickstarter campaign for The Showrunners Network - a creator-led effort designed to produce original science-fiction television and films independently of the major studios and networks.The campaign is built around six original stories, bringing experienced filmmakers and actors together with the goal of proving that ambitious genre entertainment can reach audiences through a very different production model.So we’re going to talk about the lessons Marc learned from The Twilight Zone, his years writing television and Star Trek, the long road of making Space Command, and whether independent, fan-supported production might offer a real alternative for creating the next generation of science-fiction.

These two titans of Horro combine their distinct styles to create a singular vision in their four volume adaptation of the Bram Stoker classic. We talk horror tv and more. 

Ushering in horror month with John McCrea, who has a new horror story with Garth Ennis coming out in November... and the return of Tommy Monaghan the funniest badd-ass of Noonan's Bar in a new untold Hitman one shot Xmas special with Garth, coming from DC 

In addition to talking about Mark's latest book, we also discuss several comic book artists that don't get their due 

In Part 2 of our conversation with comic book veteran Al Milgrom, we dig into the stories behind the pages , and beyond them. Al shares his memories of the legendary style of Wally Wood and offers insights into the creative genius of Murphy Anderson.Then, the spotlight shifts to the editorial trenches at Marvel. Al opens up about his collaborations and clashes with Jim Shooter, especially during the turbulent production of Secret Wars II. From late scripts to deadline disasters, you'll get the unfiltered truth from a man who was right there when it all went down. 

Remember waiting at the drugstore for the news distributor’s truck, then watching the druggist fill the spinner rack with fresh comics? In this two-part Word Balloon conversation, Al Milgrom takes us from that thrill of discovering new books into the Marvel Bullpen, where he worked as a penciler, inker, editor, and writer during a pivotal era.In Part 1, Al remembers hand-delivering artwork to John Romita Sr. and Virginia Romita, the creative chaos and personality clashes of the bullpen, and Marvel’s changes under Jim Shooter. He also tells the story behind launching Marvel Fanfare, his chance to showcase top talent and their stories on high-quality paper.

On this episode of Word Balloon, I’m talking with Eddie Muller, the host of Noir Alley on Turner Classic Movies. We get into his lifelong love of comic books and the connection he sees between comics and film noir: the crime stories, the striking visuals, and the characters who don’t always make the right choices. Eddie also tells me about the Film Noir Foundation, which he founded to preserve and restore movies that might otherwise be lost. It’s a conversation about two art forms we love and why their history is worth keeping alive.