171: "Every Comic Needs a Perfume Factory" w/Rafer Roberts and Mike Norton

Man, this book looooooks so dope. Logan Rodgers and J.B Hawkins and the rest of the team on Tales from the Cloakroom V2 have cooked up something special. The 106-page anthology is live right now on Kickstarter. Do yourself a favor and check this out. We’ve read a preview. This book slaps, as the kids say.3 Rivers Comic ConI am writing this post from the Westin Pittsburgh gearing up for the 3Rivers Comic Con! Kevin and I are pumped to be here. It’s gonna be a good time. if you are in Western PA or Eastern Ohio, come be a part of the magic! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thewordbros.substack.com

After working steadily in comics for over a decade, cartoonist Jason Copland decided it was time to tell his story. This is when Full Tilt was born. What a long strange trip it’s been. Listen as Jason shares the ups and downs, the highs and lows of making the book you want to make. The 305 page book (Yep, you read that correctly) Full Tilt comes to Zoop this week. Get involved. Mystic Melon.I case you missed it, here are the first four pages of our wonderful book Mystic Melon. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thewordbros.substack.com

Zane Barrow loves comics. You can tell by the way he talks about the medium. His enthusiasm is infectious. This love affair began back when Zane was a clerk at his local comic shop, championing smaller press books that lived in the fringes of mainstream comics. After answering a call on Twitter, Zane began his editing career. He hasn’t looked back. Zane joins us today to discuss his role in the triumph return of Gold Key Comics via Kickstarter. This is 45 minutes of podcast you don’t want to miss. Mystic Melon Enjoy page Three. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thewordbros.substack.com

Jason McNamara is one cool dude, despite what he tells ya. We got to know Jason during the pandemic when we the three of us would chat about comics and story telling for hours over Zoom. It was during one of these convos that Jason mentioned the ideas and themes that turned into Past Tense, his new graphic novel from Dark Horse Comics. Past Tense tells the story of Ashley, a tour guide at PAST TENSE, a company that sends camera drones into the past to view history's most depraved events. When Ashley discovers Silas Green, an unknown serial killer working in the past, she begins hosting “exclusive” tours of his murders. The only problem? Silas is still alive??!?! whaaaaat??!! Sounds killer right? Our conversation is all over the place here, as you’ve come to expect with the Word Bros. We chat about the wonders of having long hair, the impact of social media in our daily lives, and the skills we have that George Clooney does not. Mystic MelonThe crazy adventures of our melon headed friend continue with page two of our comic Mystic Melon That’s all for this week. Thanks again to Jason McNamara for joining us this week. Hope you enjoyed Mystic Melon. We’ll be back next week with more. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thewordbros.substack.com

There is a whole lot of graphic design that goes into making a comic. Stop and really think about it. There’s making the logo and its placement on the cover, the title page, the back cover, the book spine. The list goes on and on and on. Our guest today, Kevin Maher is here to make sense of all of it. Kevin is also here to chat about his new comic Toxic Man, which is available on his website. (linked above) Mystic MelonHere is page one of our new comic Mystic Melon From Jeremy Brooks (artist), Sara Harding (editor), Marcus Cripps (colorist), and The Word Bros (writers/co-creator)Page two will be out next week along with our chat with Jason McNamara. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thewordbros.substack.com

Rafer Roberts and Mike Norton have been working together for a long time and you can see it in their super fun and entertaining comics. The duo return for more hi-jinx in The Rock Gods of Jackson, Tennessee, an original, all ages OGN from Dark Horse Comics. The Rock Gods of Jackson, Tennessee is a semi-autobiographic tale that tells the heartwarming coming-of-age story of four high school outcasts who start a band to gain fame and popularity…but have to defend their hometown from a hungry horde of monsters instead. It’s The Archies meets Stranger Things and it sounds like a lot of fun.Mystic MelonThe creative team of Jeremey Brooks (artist/co-creator), Sara Harding (editor), Marcus Cripps (colorist), and The Word Bros (writers/co-creator) are toiling away on a new project entitled Mystic Melon, a tangled tale about n Watermelon-headed sorcerer who seeks revenge against those who have exiled him in a resort town. We gonna rock this one till the wheels fall off. Be sure to look for this one on Kickstarter in Late April/Early May. Next time, we will share a few pages of this bad boy with you. We just wanted to give you all a little taste of what’s coming up. That’s about it. Thanks for subscribing. The Word Bros. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thewordbros.substack.com

There are many things we, as the Word Bros enjoy. Ice cream, puppy dogs, a fire on a brisk fall evening, and Pink Lemonade. Not the tasty summer drink but the amazingly original comic created by cartoonist Nick Cagnetti. Nick and the Bros chat about the exhaustion involved in promoting your comic, the origins of Pick Lemonade, and the awesomeness that is Spider-Man Unlimited. If you’re a fan of Booster Gold or Mike Allred’s Madman, this is the book for you. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thewordbros.substack.com

Can we still say “Happy New Year” if it’s the end of January? Let’s hope so! Happy New Year.We are back with our first episode of 2023 and it was well worth the wait. Don Cardenas is one of the good ones. Through his podcast, Comic-Coffee-Metal podcast, Don is doing the work providing a platform for creators. Don is a loving husband and father to his two wonderful children. He is also one helluva an artist.Those skills are on display in his new book Evie and the Helsings, which is currently on Kickstarter. We chat all about how he is using Evie and the Helsings to blend his love of comics and metal, the challenges of being a creative and a stay at home father, and a whole lot more. Introducing Podcats!Part of the benefit of signing up for the newsletters is for access to sneak-peeks and exclusive content. Well, the Word Bros have teamed up with cartoonist extraordinary Lauren Sparks to create Podcats, a single panel comic depicting the podcast and its guests as talking cats. Lauren approached us with a comic she created after listening to our interview of Bob Fingerman. Needles to say, we loved the comic, so we asked her to do more. Now, its a regular feature of the newsletter. Here are a few designs from Lauren. Aren’t they just puuuurfect? Keep your eyes on the newsletter for the cartoon adventures of your favorite podcast turned cats! We also have a few other newsletter exclusive comics in the works, so keep your eyes on this space.That’s about all we have for this week. Next week, we talk to Rafer Roberts and Mike Norton abut their new project. Start writing today. Use the button below to create your Substack and connect your publication with The Word Bros: A comics interview podcast This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thewordbros.substack.com

There are many things to admire about Caleb, one of them being his outstanding mustache. Over the past two years, Caleb has been perfecting his Kickstarter campaigns with data farmed from his newsletter. The dude is a genius. It’s like Money Ball for comics. Data is nice but it also helps that Caleb has been pumping out great books. His latest Kickstarter campaign continues his long running series Vampire Detective in Space, I mean, with a title like that how can he lose? VDIS tells the tale of well, an American Civil War era vampire working as a detective on a space station trying to solve a series of murders committed by another vampire. it’s a great book and you have about two weeks to get involved!Get Lich or Die TryingBecause of your efforts, I am happy to announce that our new book Get Lich or Die Trying has reached its funding goal. So this is now a pre-sale. If you want the book will are getting the book! If you need a gelatinous cube iron on patch, this is your chance!!I also wanted you all to the be the first people to see Walter Ostlie’s sick cover for Get Lich or Die Trying. Look at this thing!Pretty sweet, huh? Here’s a little secret, our $7500 stretch goal is a foil version of Walter’s cover! If you want in on all this fun and why would you? Go to Getlichcomic.com to pledge to the campaign. Alright, well, thanks for reading/listening. Have a safe weekend!The Word Bros. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thewordbros.substack.com

Jamie Jones is one of the best dudes in comics. We met Jamie at Heroes Con in 2018, and being a fan of classic pulp tales like Tarzan and Princesses of Mars, we were instantly drawn to his work. Looking at the Baboon, you’re transported to comics of a different era. Dashing ,vibrant heroes battling ruthlessly evil villains with the fate of humanity hanging in the balance. It’s good stuff. The Baboon is back with a brand new 94-page OGN entitled The Temple of Eternal Life. If that title doesn’t get you, I don’t know what will. The conversation on today’s episode is fast and furious. We leave no stone unturned as we chat about the outstanding campaign video, Jamie’s love of Savannah, Georgia, and why he took a calculated risk and chose Crowdfundr for this campaign. Get Lich or Die TryingOur newest Kickstarter campaign has entered it’s second week and to quote Larry David, things are going “pretty pretty pretty good.” We are 94% funded and talking stretch goals. Once we get to $6500 all backers at a physical tier will receive goblin stickers, designed by series artist Nicky Noons. We have other ideas in mind but we’ll get there then we get there. I also have a few new pages to show off. Feast your eyes on these bad boys. If your so inclined to support Get Lich or Die Trying, feel feel to click the link. Baltimore Comic ConKevin and I had a blast in Charm City this weekend. Thank you to Shelly, Brad, Marc, and the entire team for making us feel welcome in their city. We met a lot of cool folks and sold a few comics. On Friday night, we ventured out to Medieval Times. You know that place where you eat food with your hands while watching brave knights sword fight to the (pretend) death? Yeah, we went. How was it you ask? Well, you’ll have to wait until the next edition of the Word Bros newsletter to find out. Thanks for reading/listening and we’ll chat again soon. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thewordbros.substack.com