Book Club: Bendis & the Patrons - Birds of Prey Vol. 1 by Kelly Thompson

Comics visionary Tom Scioli joins me for a wide-ranging, brain-melting conversation that jumps from classic TV to kaiju carnage to cosmic storytelling. If you know Tom’s work — GØDLAND, Transformers vs. G.I. Joe, Fantastic Four: Grand Design — you already know he thinks bigger, weirder, and more ambitiously than almost anyone in comics. In this talk, we get into:• The Twilight Zone #2 From IDW and how Rod Serling’s storytelling shapes Tom’s approach to mythmaking• Godzilla Monsterpiece Theater from IDW  as Tom pits the Kaiju against some lieterally giants • Space Opera Xanadax from Image  as the purest form of comic-book imagination, and how Tom pushes the SF genre to its limits• His YouTube show Total Recall, where he digs into comics history, storytelling craft, and hidden TV and film gems with his trademark insight and enthusiasm Tom breaks down influences, process, philosophy, and the connective tissue between classic television, monster movies, and cosmic comics. It’s equal parts film class, comics craft talk, and deep-fan celebration.

Welcome to another Word Balloon Book Club, where Brian Michael Bendis and the Word Balloon Patreon community get together for a smart, funny, no-BS discussion about one of the hottest titles on the shelves: Birds of Prey Vol. 1 by Kelly Thompson.This session breaks down why Thompson’s run lands so hard — the pacing, the team chemistry, the character voices, and the way this book resets the Birds with a mission that actually matters. We talk Cass, Dinah, Barda, Harley, and the surprise players who make this lineup click. Expect:• Bendis giving craft insight into what makes the scripting work• Patrons sounding off with their favorite moments, twists, and character beats• A look at the art, layouts, and the visual tone of the run• Thoughts on where Thompson might be steering the series next•Like, subscribe, and join the Patreon if you want to jump in on future Book Club sessions!

Comedian, author, filmmaker, and podcaster Mark Malkoff joins me to talk about his brand-new book Love, Johnny Carson — a deep, affectionate, and revealing look at the life and career of the man who defined late-night television for generations. We dig into:• Why Carson’s impact still looms over every host working today• The behind-the-scenes stories that shaped his legendary run• What made Carson’s style unique — and impossible to fully replicate• How Mark researched the book and why it became such a personal projectThen we shift to the present:• The current state of late-night TV and the changing media landscape• Which modern hosts carry the spirit of Carson — and which don’t• Whether the late-night talk show format is evolving… or fading right before our eyes• How streaming, social media, and shifting audiences have changed the entire gameIf you care about comedy history, TV history, or simply love great storytelling, this conversation is loaded.

This is the big one. Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly join me to break down their explosive new IDW Star Trek saga The Last Starship — a story set hundreds of years after the TNG era, long after the familiar map of the Federation has been shattered by a galaxy-wide catastrophe. In this far-future Trek epic, a desperate Starfleet captain takes one last swing at survival: resurrecting James T. Kirk. Not a simulation. Not a hologram. The real deal — brought back because he might be the only mind capable of solving the crisis threatening what’s left of the galaxy.Lanzing & Kelly get candid about craft, collaboration, canon, and why this story had to be told now. If you love thoughtful sci-fi, bold Trek worldbuilding, and big character swings, you’re going to want to dive into this conversation.

On this edition of Scene Missing,I'm joined by filmmaker/artist Gabriel Hardman and writer/critic Ian Brill for a sharp, no-nonsense look at the 1946 noir classic The Strange Love of Martha Ivers. We dig into the film’s ruthless psychology, its tangled relationships, and how the performances from Barbara Stanwyck, Van Heflin, a young Kirk Douglas, and Lizabeth Scott still punch hard today. Hardman breaks down the visual language and shadow work that make the film so uniquely tense, while Brill dives into the screenplay’s moral ambiguity and the twisted power dynamics at its core. From the opening “accident” that sets everything in motion to the film’s bleak, pressure-cooker finale, this is a deep, character-driven postmortem of a noir that doesn’t get enough modern attention. Perfect for fans of classic Hollywood, noir obsessives, and anyone who loves watching a great movie picked apart by smart people who know how the machine works.

Acclaimed writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson sits down for a deep-dive conversation covering three major fronts of his powerhouse comics career. We dig into his Hulk run—why he leaned into supernatural horror, what drives his take on Bruce Banner, and how he builds a monster mythology that feels genuinely dangerous.Then we jump to Superman: House of El, breaking down the world-building, legacy themes, and how he approaches expanding the Superman mythos for a new generation while staying true to its core DNA.Finally, Johnson teases his newest addition to Gotham: The Quiet Man, a chilling new villain debuting in Batman and Robin. We explore the character’s origin, his psychological angle, and how he’ll challenge Damian and Bruce in ways they haven’t faced before.

The pulp revival is back — and bigger than ever.In this new interview, veteran editor and writer Robert Greenberger returns to talk about the Kickstarter launch of Thrilling Adventure Yarns 2026, the latest installment in the hit anthology series celebrating classic pulp adventure storytelling for a modern audience. Greenberger breaks down what’s new in Volume 5, including:All–new short stories from top science-fiction and comic-book writersThe series’ trademark mix of heroic adventure, mystery, sci-fi, supernatural thrills, and classic pulp actionHow each volume brings together creators from across comics, novels, and genre fictionWhy pulp storytelling still hits a nerve with today’s readersThe challenges — and joys — of editing a multi-author anthology in 2025What backers can expect from the Kickstarter: tiers, exclusives, stretch goals, and behind-the-scenes extrasGreenberger also reflects on the legacy of pulp fiction, the modern resurgence of serialized adventure stories, and how Thrilling Adventure Yarns has become a home for both legendary creators and fresh voices. If you love comics, sci-fi, classic pulps, or creator-driven anthologies, this conversation gives you the full story behind the new volume — and why this Kickstarter is worth jumping on early.► Support the Kickstarter https://tinyurl.com/36et4m6j► SUBSCRIBE for more creator interviews, book launches, and deep-dive genre conversations

In this 2016 conversation, acclaimed comics historian Bill Schelly takes us deep into the life and legacy of Otto Binder, one of the most influential — and too often overlooked — writers in the history of American comics and science fiction. Schelly discusses his expanded biography, Otto Binder: The Life and Work of a Comic Book and Science Fiction Visionary, and lays out why Binder’s fingerprints are all over the Golden and Silver Age. We cover:Binder’s prolific run on Shazam!/Captain Marvel in the 1940sThe creation of Mary Marvel, the Marvel Family, and Mr. Tawny the Talking TigerHow Binder built classic villains like Mister Mind and crafted the landmark Monster Society of Evil sagaHis leap to DC Comics in the 1950s, where he co-created Supergirl, The Legion of Super-Heroes, the Bottled City of Kandor, and helped reshape the Superman mythosBinder’s parallel career in science fiction, and how his SF instincts informed his storytelling across both mediumsWhy his influence still resonates with modern superhero comicsThis is a must-listen for anyone who cares about comics history, forgotten giants of the medium, and the creators who quietly built the universes we all take for granted. ► SUBSCRIBE for more deep-dive interviews, comic history talks, and archival creator conversations.

2014 was a turning point for Marvel — and Axel Alonso was right in the middle of it.In this archival conversation, Marvel Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso sits down with me to break down exactly where the House of Ideas stood in 2014: the big swings, the new voices, the editorial gambles, and the seismic moves that were reshaping the entire line. We get into:The rise of the “All-New Marvel NOW!” eraHow Marvel was recruiting and developing its next wave of writers and artistsThe push toward diverse character spotlights like Kamala Khan, Miles Morales, and a newly elevated Carol DanversThe build-up toward Jonathan Hickman’s Avengers mega-architecture and the early tremors leading to Secret Wars (2015)How editorial was navigating movies, TV, digital comics, and a rapidly changing readershipThe state of the X-Men and what Alonso could — and couldn’t — say about their futureThe balance between legacy characters and new heroesMarvel's strategy for creator-owned-adjacent projects and keeping top talent in the foldIt’s a sharp, candid snapshot of Marvel at a moment when everything was about to level up.If you love behind-the-scenes talk about how big superhero universes actually get made, this one is essential listening.

In this episode of To The Outer Limits, we crack open one of the series’ most talked-about remakes: “I, Robot.” This is the 1964 original revisited in 1995, a rare case where The Outer Limits returns to its own past to re-examine a classic moral question—what makes something alive? We break down the performances, the courtroom drama spine, the deviations from Eando Binder’s source material, and how the ’90s revival reframed the debate over artificial intelligence and responsibility. We’ll talk directing choices, tone, budget realities, and how the episode stacks up against both the ’60s version and the later pop-culture takes on robotics and sentience. Whether you first met Adam Link through classic sci-fi magazines, the original series, or this revival, this review digs into why this story refuses to fade—and what it still has to say today.