Genre Splicing The Van Jensen Experience

Van Jensen joins Word Balloon for a wide-ranging conversation about genre, adaptation, and why the best stories don’t play it safe. We dig into God Fall, Van’s epic, faith-shaking fantasy novel series that’s now being developed as a television project by Ron Howard and Imagine. Van breaks down what drew Hollywood to the property, how the story’s mix of theology, rebellion, and cosmic war translates to the screen, and what he hopes survives the adaptation intact.From there, we zoom out on Van’s knack for genre splicing—stories that take familiar frameworks and twist them into something sharper and stranger. That includes his IDW comic Godzilla: Heist, which turns the King of the Monsters into the centerpiece of a crime caper, and his take on Pinocchio, which leans far closer to the original, darker fairy tale than the softened Disney version most people know. It’s a conversation about respecting myth, bending expectations, and trusting readers—and viewers—to follow bold ideas wherever they lead.

Today on the show, I’m joined by one of the most influential visual storytellers in modern comics, Charlie Adlard. Best known as the co-architect of The Walking Dead, Charlie helped redefine what long-form horror could look like on the page, grounding the apocalypse in raw humanity, brutal choices, and unforgettable imagery that fueled a global phenomenon across comics, television, and pop culture.Now Charlie is turning the page with a powerful new graphic novel, Altamont, a deeply personal and atmospheric work that strips everything down to essentials: memory, loss, place, and the quiet weight of time. Altamont was the location for the infamous tragic 1969 concert that claimed the life of a fan, by the hands of a security person. We’ll talk about the origins of Altamont,and how it reflects where he is creatively today. We’ll also look back at The Walking Dead itself: how lightning struck, why it connected so deeply with readers, what surprised him most about its rise, and how he views the legacy of the series now that the dust has settled.

School is in sessio with new characters and old Disco folk. What did our crew members think?

Brad Meltzer is back talking comics and his amazing novels. You ever hold a book in your hand and feel like the world just flipped on its axis? That’s what happens when Brad drops a thriller. And today? We’ve get the lowdown on The Viper — the latest, pulse-pounding, turn-every-page thriller that just hit bookstores and is already getting the kind of buzz most authors only dream about. It's a bizzare case for Nola Brown, High stakes. Deep conspiracies. Characters you swear are real. That’s classic Meltzer — smart, sharp, unrelenting — and The Viper delivers in spades.But if you think that’s big… wait for this. Brad Meltzer is stepping into an entirely new arena. A crossover that nobody saw coming — a collision of icons that will shake the comics world to its core. He’s writing Spider-Man/Superman — yes, Spider-Man and Superman — in an unprecedented crossover event for Marvel, dropping mid-April. Two universes. Two legends. One story. And Brad is the architect. So buckle up, because whether you’re here for the thriller or the superhero spectacle, Brad Meltzer just flipped the script — again.

Today we’re dialing it up with one of the most provocative, inventive voices in comics: Tom King. We’re breaking down all the big news around Tom’s upcoming DC slate — including the Mister Miracle animated project that’s turning heads with its bold reimagining of Scott Free, and the fresh twists he’s bringing to Lanterns that are already reshaping the mythos of the emotional spectrum. Yep, we’re talking what it means for the future of the DCU, what fans can expect, and why these books matter beyond just explosions and capes.But we’re not stopping there. Later in the show: Archie Movie Roundup — we’re diving into what’s next for Archie on the big screen, how the classic juggernaut’s Hollywood evolution is playing out, and what it means for the Riverdale universe and beyond. We’ll also take a hard look back at classic movies that shaped storytelling — old favorites, hidden gems, and the films that keep influencing creators today.Plus: The usual deep dive into craft, comics philosophy, life lessons from panels and pages, and the sort of honest, sharp talk only you’ll hear right here. 

It's a new King's speech with writer Tom King We open with breaking ground on the big screen. Tom King talks about the upcoming Supergirl movie and how his Eisner-winning comic Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow became the creative DNA for the film. In Trinity, Tom breaks down the core idea behind the series—using time travel not as a gimmick, but as a way to finally let Wonder Woman’s daughter Lizzie truly know her father. Through fractured timelines and lived-in moments, Lizzie comes to understand Steve Trevor not as a legend or a memory, but as a man. It’s personal, it’s intfilm, imate, and it reframes the Trinity legacy in a way that sticks. We also widen the lens and talk Wonder Woman herself—what she represents now, what she’s always represented, and why writing her requires a different emotional frequency than almost any other character in comics. And yes—we go there. Tom is candid about his lingering regret in the Bat-corner of the DC Universe: Alfred Pennyworth is still gone, and Tom reflects on the weight of that decision, the permanence of death in superhero storytelling, and how it continues to haunt his run on Batman. This is a thoughtful, honest, and creative deep dive—less about plot mechanics, more about legacy, consequence, and emotion. 

This special episode commemorates the 60th anniversary of the groundbreaking ABC television series Batman, the pop-culture lightning bolt that turned comic books into primetime spectacle and permanently rewired how superheroes could be portrayed on screen. I share a couple of professional and personal encounters with "The Bright Knight" But, at the heart of the episode is a rare 2016 interview with the late, great Adam West, recorded not long before his passing. West reflects candidly on stepping into the cape and cowl, navigating the razor-thin line between sincerity and satire, and why playing Batman seriously—even when the world was laughing—was the key to the show’s success. He discusses:How the series embraced comic-book logic without mocking itThe cultural shockwave of Batmania in the 1960sThe unexpected responsibility of becoming Batman to generations of fansWhy the role followed him for life—and why he ultimately embraced that legacyThis episode isn’t just a celebration of a TV show. It’s a tribute to an era, a performance, and a philosophy of heroism that proved Batman could be smart, strange, colorful, and iconic—all at the same time. Six decades later, the Bat-signal still shines. And Adam West is a big reason why. 🦇

Word Balloon Book Club brings together John Siuntres, Patreon supporters, and members of Brian Michael Bendis’s Discord for an in-depth, no-nonsense discussion of The Hunter, the hard-boiled graphic novel adaptation by Darwyn Cooke.The conversation digs into Cooke’s razor-sharp storytelling, his mastery of mid-century crime aesthetics, and how The Hunter distills the brutal, minimalist spirit of classic pulp fiction into pure visual momentum. We break down Cooke’s page design, color choices, and economy of dialogue, while also talking about why Parker remains such an enduring anti-hero and how this book stands apart from more traditional crime comics.It’s a smart, passionate discussion fueled by creators, longtime readers, and serious fans.Equal parts literary analysis, comics craft talk, and shared enthusiasm for one of the great graphic novels of the 21st century. Exactly what a book club should be: focused, informed, and fun.

set sail with its maiden voyage, and we’re not easing into calm waters. In this debut episode, John Siuntres and Franco dive headfirst into Season One, Episode One of The Love Boat, the episode that launched a TV institution and defined late-’70s comfort viewing for decades to come. Joining them as this week’s guest passenger is Margaret Larkin from The Radio Girl Podcast, bringing sharp insight,  and zero tolerance for shallow nostalgia. Together, the crew breaks down:The episode’s multiple guest-star storylines and how the rotating-romance format was established right out of the gateWho these guest stars really were beyond their Love Boat appearances—career highs, unexpected turns, and pop-culture contextBehind-the-scenes facts, network strategy, and why this show worked when it absolutely shouldn’t haveWhat holds up, what’s already dated, and what still weirdly worksThis isn’t a breezy recap. It’s a smart, funny, occasionally skeptical re-watch that treats The Love Boat as both a time capsule and a television machine built to last. Climb aboard. The champagne is cheap, emotions are high, and the seas may get choppy.