“Pop Culture Time Machine: Ed Catto Talks Retro-Fan Magazine & Ithacon”

In 1978 there was Cancel Culture, Of a Different Kind. In this wide-ranging conversation, Paul Kupperberg kicks things off by revisiting the chaos and opportunity of DC’s infamous Implosion, detailing how he helped salvage lost work through the two landmark volumes of Canceled Comic Cavalcade, a rare behind-the-curtain look at comics that almost vanished into history. From there, we dig into his run on Vigilante, where street-level justice met moral complexity, and his offbeat, character-driven take on Doom Patrol. Paul also shares sharp, funny stories from his time writing for Crazy Magazine and the gloriously absurd headlines of Weekly World News, revealing how satire sharpened his storytelling instincts. Along the way, he reflects on the industry’s evolution, the hustle of staying versatile, and even teases a few new projects that prove he’s still very much in the game.

Ed Catto, professor at Ithaca College and Editor-in-Chief of RetroFan Magazine joins us for a lively dive into the newest issue, packed with pure pop-culture comfort food. We talk Saturday morning cartoons and why they still matter, behind-the-scenes conversations with cast members from The Brady Bunch, and a terrific about Don Novello about the enduring appeal of Father Guido Sarducci.Ed also gives a forward-looking preview of Ithacon, Ithaca College’s long-running comic convention, sharing what fans can expect and why it continues to be a vital gathering spot for creators and enthusiasts alike.

Part three with Diana Schutz is where the long view comes into focus. She traces the beginnings of her friendship with Brian Michael Bendis , how that relationship started, why it endured, and what it says about spotting talent early and sticking with your people.From there, Diana talks about teaching at Portland State University, building a comics-focused class from the ground up, and eventually turning it over to Shelly Bond , another respected editorial voice. It’s about mentorship, paying it forward, and making sure the next wave understands both the craft and the business.Then she walks through her start at Dark Horse Comics in its early days , when the company was still defining itself and the independent boom was taking shape. Diana reflects on her enduring friendship with Bob Schreck after their divorce, proof that professional respect and personal history don’t have to collapse when relationships change. And finally, she discusses joining the judges committee for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards Hall of Fame , helping shape how the medium honors its own history. It’s a fitting role for someone who has spent decades fighting for creators and preserving the integrity of the craft.

Part two with Diana Schutz picks up right where the real war stories begin.This time, Diana pulls back the curtain on her Comico years , stepping into the editorial trenches at a publisher that, for a moment, looked like it was riding high. She talks candidly about the challenge of wrangling the Robotech comics line,but also the joy of editing Johnny Quest, working with the legendary Doug Wildey and the always inventive William Messner-Loebs. She breaks down why that book worked . Then comes the sobering part: Comico’s collapse. Diana explains that it wasn’t simply bad luck — it was a fundamental misunderstanding of how the newsstand distribution system actually operated. In the early direct-market dominance era, that mistake was fatal. A harsh lesson in the business side of comics that too many creative-driven companies learned the hard way in the ’80s.From there, Diana recounts her earlier blink-and-you’ll-miss-it four-day stint at Marvel Comics as an assitant editor for Ann Nocenti , working under Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter. She doesn’t hedge. The rigid, top-down editorial structure simply wasn’t a fit for her. Diana closes this segment by giving heartfelt credit to her then-partner Bob Schreck for helping her land back on her feet, find new opportunities, and stay in the industry after some serious professional gut punches. It's a compelling look at the pitfalls of trying to survive the comic biz in the 80s and 90s. Part 3 tomorrow. 

This is Part One of a three-part deep dive with comics legend Diana Schutz, whose editorial fingerprints are all over modern comics history. From her influential years at Dark Horse to her early work during the Comico era and beyond...We start at the beginning: Diana’s first exposure to comics through Supergirl and her love for the clean, expressive style of 1960s comic art. That passion never faded, it evolved. She walks us through the meticulous process of restoring a classic Lois Lane cover, explaining how comics restoration has grown into a serious craft and industry of its own.From there, we explore her current work translating a graphic novel by Brazilian artist Ricardo Leite for a new high-end comics art publisher, and she breaks down the real art of translatio. Why cultural nuance matters, and why having the right English-language voice is essential to preserving tone and intent. We also rewind to the early ’80s, when Diana launched The Telegraph Wire, a 32-page bi-monthly comics magazine that began as a retailer newsletter and became a proving ground for her editorial skills. She talks about learning graphic design on the fly, selling ads, interviewing creators, and building something from scratch in a pre-internet comics landscape. It’s a vivid look at a smaller, more intimate industry, one where relationships mattered and information wasn’t instantly searchable. Along the way, Diana reflects on working at Comics & Comix, getting recruited by Kim Thompson to write for Amazing Heroes, connecting with Matt Wagner, and navigating an industry that had very few women in visible roles at the time. She shares memories of mentors like Trina Robbins, editors like Maggie Thompson and contemproraries like Karen Berger, and even her wild experience serving as Tom Baker’s minder at a Chicago Doctor Who convention, complete with behind-the-scenes fandom chaos. This first chapter of our conversation is about origins, craft, and survival in a young comics industry that was still figuring itself out. And it sets the stage for much more to come.

On this episode of Word Balloon, I’m joined by writer Dave Baker to talk about his new Top Shelf graphic novel Punk N’ Head, a wild, heartfelt, and sharp-edged story that blends music, identity, and outsider energy into something that feels both chaotic and personal. Dave breaks down the inspiration behind the book, the visual collaboration, and why this one hits close to home.We also get into his adventures in animation writing. The hustle, the rooms, the realities of working in that fast-moving industry,and he shares an absolutely insane story about developing a Navy SEALs vs. aliens film that proves Hollywood can be as surreal as any sci-fi script.On top of that, we talk about his own podcast Deep Cuts, where Dave digs into the overlooked, under-discussed corners of pop culture. It’s a funny, candid, and occasionally unbelievable conversation about making comics, surviving the entertainment business, and finding your voice in the chaos.

In this episode of Word Balloon, I sit down with longtime DC writer and historian Bob Rozakis for a deep dive into his Bronze Age experiences writing Robin, Teen Titans, Superman, and more during one of the most transitional eras in comics history. Bob reflects on crafting character-driven stories at a time when DC was recalibrating its identity, sharing behind-the-scenes insight into working with iconic heroes while balancing continuity, editorial demands, and the evolving tastes of readers in the 1970s and early ’80s. From Robin back-ups to Titans team drama and Superman tales, Bob paints a vivid picture of what it was like working inside DC when the Bronze Age was firing on all cylinders. We also revisit one of the most unique chapters in DC lore, when Bob literally drove the DC Comics promotional “mobile” around New York and New Jersey hand-selling books like a Good Humor ice cream man.He shares stories of being there when Christopher Reeve judged a Superman movie contest at DC, capturing that moment when comics and Hollywood suddenly collided in a big way. Bob offers candid memories of the DC Implosion. What it felt like from the inside as titles were slashed and uncertainty hit the staff, and how creators adapted during a turbulent stretch in the company’s history.We also discuss his fascinating alternate-history essays published in Alter Ego, where Bob imagines a world in which DC and All-American Comics never consolidated the way they did. It’s a smart, playful exploration of “what if” publishing scenarios from someone who knows the real history inside and out.

We review the SAM/DS9 episode, featuring Teen Bar fights a senior staff dinner with a fish that farts and glitter vomit.This was there idea of an Avery Brooks tribute. At least it was good to see Jake Sisko. 

In this episode of Word Balloon, I’m joined by writer Dennis Hopeless for an honest, wide-ranging conversation about career pivots, creative freedom, and why he’s done pitching new ideas to Marvel.Dennis breaks down what pushed him toward the creator-owned route and why Ignition Press is the right home for his new series Just Brutal. The book flips classic sword-and-sorcery on its head, following a modern family of adventurers who battle barbarian-style monsters while dealing with very real, very human dynamics. It’s big, bloody, and grounded in character. Exactly the kind of project that benefits from full creator control. We also look back at some of Dennis’s most high-profile Marvel work, including Avengers Academy, and he speaks candidly about the backlash, hate mail, and social-media blowback that came with writing teen heroes during a volatile moment in fandom. It’s a clear-eyed discussion about creative risk, audience expectations, and the personal toll of working inside big IP.