Phillip Kennedy Johnson Talks Midnight Spider-Man and Infernal Hulk

Archie is entering a new era for the character and all of Riverdale's favorites with Oni Press and Archie's new #1s. Ben H. Winters, the acclaimed novelist, takes up the main title, Archie! We spoke with him about bringing his mostly serious literary background (dark mysteries, drama television) to pure comedy for the first time, tracing his sense of pacing back to his college comedy troupe and punk band roots. He describes his Riverdale as infinitely elastic, a setting that can stretch from the diner to a mountaintop while staying instantly recognizable, and explains that his debut arc centers on a film festival specifically so he can reintroduce the whole core cast at once, each filtered through a different genre pastiche. Beneath the gags, Winters talks about weaving in a quieter thread about the anxiety of late adolescence, using a recurring Jughead's Journal backup feature to hint at an unfolding, faintly sci-fi mystery about why Riverdale never seems to change, while also pushing to diversify the town's cast to reflect a more realistic version of the world.

Nicholas Binge's new novella The Abyss opens with an idea that horror fans will recognize immediately, even if they've never set foot near a Lovecraftian tentacle: the soul-crushing claustrophobia of showing up to the same job, on the same loop, until the walls start to feel less like walls and more like a death sentence. In our interview, Binge breaks down how he built a cosmic horror story from something as mundane as an open-plan office (the absolute worst idea), and why he thinks late-stage capitalism is the closest thing we have to a real-world Lovecraftian entity. We also get into the book's eerily prescient AI subplot (written years before ChatGPT was a household name), the self-directed rage that fueled its doom-scrolling horror, and that unforgettable scene from The Matrix that's haunted Binge since he was eleven years old.

Joseph Eckert's debut novel The Traveler follows Scott, an average Midwestern dad whose car vanishes around him one ordinary commute — and who discovers he's been thrown 24 hours into the future. The twist: it keeps happening, and each jump doubles, flinging him two days forward, then four, then eight, sixteen, and on, while his brilliant son Lyle grows obsessed with figuring out the math behind his father's disappearances and finding a way to bring him home. He stopped by the show to speak about the novel. In our conversation, Eckert traced his time-travel influences back to a college paper comparing Terminator 2, Time Cop, and Back to the Future — and explained why he built his own story around forward motion instead of the backward paradoxes those films wrestle with. We dig into what makes the book hit harder than a typical high-concept premise is its personal nature. Eckert started writing it 15 years ago, identifying with the son, but returned to it as a father himself, reshaping Scott's interiority (with help from his editors and agent) to capture the specific horror of missing your child's life in irreversible leaps. He also softened the marriage at the story's center, moving away from his own experience as the child of divorce toward a more tragic, loving portrait of what a good relationship looks like under impossible strain. The Traveler is out now from Tor Books!

Late Fame tells a story of an artist who is finally "found" later in his life. Throughout the film, the lead character, Ed Saxberger (played by Willem Dafoe), must navigate the modern art world. The same group of artists yearns for the times that Saxberger comes from and the artists who existed in the circles in New York City at that time. In Late Fame, we see director Kent Jones navigate modern New York and its inhabitants. We were lucky enough to chat with Kent Jones about the film. Listen to our interview here. Kent Jones explains why Dafoe was essentially the only viable choice to play a poet-lead since Dafoe genuinely performs poetry and previously played Pasolini. He ties the thought together by tying it back to a Robert De Niro line about Brando having "the poetry of his whole being." The conversation moves into the film's love-letter-to-New-York quality, with the director talking about decades of watching the city change, the presence of the past haunting the characters (especially in Soho, tied to Dafoe's own history with the Wooster Group), and how gentrification and the "attention economy" have reshaped what it even means to try to make art in New York now.  

Sean Gordon Murphy and Dan have a conversation about the upcoming The Last Driver. The conversation focuses on the echo chambers and division that have separated people. We dive deeply into many topics, including the accusations he faced related to ComicsGate. The topics explore different things touched upon in the book, which uses humor and over-the-top action to tell a very human story. We, of course, also discuss cars because there was no chance we were having SGM on and not talking about cars. We also talk about the publishing choices Sean made for the book, including publishing it in a widescreen aspect ratio rather than the standard portrait orientation used by 99% of comics. The different range makes for a much better experience for a book so heavily focused on driving and the freedom that comes with it. He discusses the influences on the book and how he developed his cyberpunk capitalist wasteland to tell his story. We also talk about the plans for the series' future and for Sean's other big book, Batman: White Knight.  

Today on the podcast, we're joined by writer Che Grayson! Best known for their work on Dark Spaces: Good Deeds from IDW Publishing and Exquisite Corpses from Image Comics. Che is currently writing Absolute Catwoman for DC Comics and the recently announced Absolute Cassandra Cain: The Shadow's Hand, both of which we're chatting about today. Absolute Catwoman #1-2 are currently available, with #3 out August 26th. Absolute Cassandra Cain: The Shadow's Hand #1 releases September 9th.

Today on the GateCrashers podcast sees James Tynion IV join us to chat more comics with Dan. Known for his work at DC Comics with extended runs on Detective Comics, Justice League Dark, and Batman, James has been acclaimed in recent years for his horror work with his own comics imprint, Tiny Onion Studios. James started off with the acclaimed books Something is Killing the Children, The Department of Truth, and Exquisite Corpses. Now, James is back on the pod to chat his new series ODIN, a Norse horror story co-written with Marguerite Bennett and art by Letizia Cadonici, and the recent issues of W0rldtr33 with artist Fernando Blanco. Listen to our chat with James Tynion IV below! The first three issues of ODIN are available now, and issue four releases September 9th. The first three trade paperbacks of W0rldtr33 are available now, and Vol. 4 releases September 9th.  

Today on the podcast we're joined once again by Phillip Kennedy Johnson. Writer of Action Comics, Green Lantern: War Journal, and his current Hulk saga with artist Nic Klein, Johnson joins us today to discuss his upcoming work on the new, horror-focused Marvel imprint Midnight with Midnight Spider-Man with artist ScieTronc, and the next stage of his Hulk saga, Infernal Hulk and a series of one shots which sees Hulk taking on some of Marvel's most famous heroes. We dig into the horrors of Hulk, Appalachia, and more.

If you know the name Bear McCreary, it's probably from the goosebumps he's given you without you even knowing it was him. You may know his work from Battlestar Galactica, The Walking Dead, God of War, and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. He's one of the most prolific composers working today, and on July 31st, he's releasing Singularity: Ekleipsis, his second metal album. He sat down with us to talk about creating something that is his own art. We dug into how neither of us comes from a metal background and what that means for the music he is creating. He drops some great recommendations of things to listen to in order to find your way into the genre. The album itself is brilliant from top to bottom. Bear McCreary discusses how this was, in his opinion, more finely tuned than the first, but both albums have been on constant repeat for me lately. About Bear McCreary and Singularity: Ekleipsis Award-winning composer and recording artist Bear McCreary began his career as a protégé of legendary film composer Elmer Bernstein, before bursting onto the scene scoring the revered series Battlestar Galactica in 2004. Since then, McCreary has won three Emmy Awards, including two for Disney's Percy Jackson and the Olympians and one for his theme for Da Vinci's Demons, a musical palindrome, and has won twelve International Film Music Critics Association Awards, including the award for Score of the Year in 2024, his second. Named the 23rd Most Definitive Bear in Popular Culture (The Ringer), he's also been the subject of a clue on Jeopardy! Project highlights include The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Amazon); Foundation (Apple TV); the beloved series Outlander (STARZ); Godzilla: King of the Monsters (Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures); The Walking Dead (AMC); and Netflix's Academy Award–nominated documentary Crip Camp (produced by Barack and Michelle Obama). McCreary's celebrated scores for Sony PlayStation's blockbusters God of War and God of War Ragnarök have earned him two BAFTA Awards and two Grammy nominations. In 2024, McCreary released The Singularity, a hard-rock concept album featuring legendary rock talent including Slash, Serj Tankian (System of a Down), Corey Taylor (Slipknot), Rufus Wainwright, and more.  McCreary has collaborated with artists from across the musical spectrum, including Hozier, Fiona Apple, Shirley Manson (Garbage), Annie Lennox, and the late Sinéad O'Connor. In 2014, Maestro Gustavo Dudamel conducted a suite of McCreary's music with the L.A. Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl.

Chuck Tingle is one of the most inspiring people I have ever had the chance to talk to. Our first interview changed how I approached interviews entirely. He taught me to come at things from my place with my heart on my sleeve. I owe so much to Chuck Tingle's influence on me, so getting the chance to chat again was a blessing. This time around, we are diving into his new book, Beautiful Bodies. We dive deep into the role of influencers and how what they do is art, through a Warhol lens. We also took some time to talk about Busta Rhymes' brilliance. The interview spans the board, offering a deep conversation about art, humanity, horror, and all the things that make life worth living. LOVE IS REAL! About Beautiful Bodies Poppy Stringer was born to be a star. An aspiring fashion influencer by day, Poppy moonlights as a grave robber to make ends meet, wheeling and dealing dead bodies across Palm Springs. When her hero, the flamboyant, piano-slamming rockstar Eddie Michaels, unexpectedly dies, Poppy gets a call to retrieve his body from the medical examiner's office for a lucrative sum. It could be the last job she'll ever need—if everything goes to plan. But the night's delivery quickly veers off course when Eddie wakes up. Now Poppy must fight for her life if she hopes to survive this blood-soaked joyride of carnage and extravagant entertainment. About Chuck Tingle Chuck Tingle is a USA Today bestselling author, as well as a two-time Hugo Award finalist, Bram Stoker Award nominee, Goodreads Award nominee, Golden Poppy Award finalist, Locus Award winner, Dragon Award winner, Audie Award winner, and the recipient of the 2025 Loud Hands Award for Autistic Storytellers. He is a mysterious force of energy behind sunglasses and a pink mask. He is also an anonymous author of romance, horror, and fantasy. Chuck was born in Home of Truth, Utah, and now lives in Los Angeles, California. Chuck writes to prove love is real, because love is the most important tool we have when resisting the endless cosmic void. Not everything people say about Chuck is true, but the important parts are. Chuck self-publishes erotica and romance, and releases horror novels through Tor Nightfire.