Direct Edition

Shintaro Kago renowned mangaka & illustrator joins Dave to discuss his four-decade career spent exploring surreal & grotesque horror and dark humor. Kago shares how early exposure to the occult boom of the 1970s shaped his imagination, and how Monty Python influenced his comedic approach to all things taboo. The two discuss his Eisner-winning Blood Harvest, collaborating with Peach Momoko, and the shift toward large-scale paintings and gallery shows. Kago's next solo exhibition is slated for July 2027 at Gallery Nucleus in Portland. Thanks to Yo Mutsu for the translation help and guest appearance of Peach!Coming in 2027 from Fantagraphics, Ultra Power Mongol Invasion!Follow Kago Sensei - https://www.instagram.com/shintarokago1969Find Me:-------------------------------------------My Website : directeditionpodcast.comPATREON https://www.patreon.com/DavengersDirectEditionInstagram:   https://www.instagram.com/directeditionpodcast/Send us Fan MailSupport the show

BACK THE KICKSTARTER HERE - http://kck.st/4ze6MGCComics creator Becky Cloonan returns to Direct Edition to discuss Fever Dream, her first-ever Kickstarter. She describes the 120-page pandemic-era sketchbook that inspired the project, how she reconciled the mania of working with no script, and the experimental techniques that gave it its loose, dreamlike feel. The two discuss collaborating with Tula Lotay on Somna, working with The Cure, Ken Russell's The Devils, drawing Matt Fraction's Batman annual, and why Neil Jordan's The Company of Wolves is endlessly inspiring.My Website : directeditionpodcast.comPATREON https://www.patreon.com/DavengersDirectEditionInstagram:   https://www.instagram.com/directeditionpodcast/Send us Fan MailSupport the show

Dave takes this episode solo and answers questions from the community! He gushes about his love of artist editions (when will we finally get the Infinity Gauntlet??), early concerts like Pearl Jam & Weird Al Yankovic, the UK comics and Japanese manga scenes, Alan Moore, the healing power of music, and the never-ending hunt for the perfect reading soundtrack. Plus a healthy dose of gratitude for an audience that's stuck with him across almost three years of Direct Edition.Find Me:-------------------------------------------My Website : directeditionpodcast.comPATREON https://www.patreon.com/DavengersDirectEditionInstagram:   https://www.instagram.com/directeditionpodcast/Send us Fan MailSupport the show

Scottish singer-songwriter James Graham of The Twilight Sad joins Dave to discuss It's The Long Goodbye, the band's sixth album, on Rock Action Records. Graham shares the solitary writing process that led him through the grief of losing his mother to dementia, and bandmate Andy MacFarlane's role as collaborator and anchor during the process. The two discuss Graham's friendship with Robert Smith, helping people with Dementia thorugh music, touring with The Cure, Scott Hutchison,  the impossible economics of touring, and his lifelong love of comics from the 90s X-Men cartoon and beyond.Listen to  ⁨@twilightsadofficial⁩  Check out Playlist For Life, helping people living with Dementia -  https://www.playlistforlife.org.uk/Find Me:-------------------------------------------My Website : directeditionpodcast.comPATREON https://www.patreon.com/DavengersDirectEditionInstagram:   https://www.instagram.com/directeditionpodcast/Send us Fan MailSupport the show

Cartoonist Sanford Greene (Bitter Root) returns to Direct Edition to discuss Darkseid vs. The World, his upcoming DC All-In saga with Scott Snyder. He explains how a retailer's offhand suggestion inspired a two year pitch-to-page journey, and how his admiration for Jack Kirby's Hunger Dogs shaped his take on Darkseid, and the instincts that keep things simple. Sanford talks about being immortalized on Czarface's "Omega Beam", selling out the Ink Alliance Teen Titans variant cover,  and his character-design work on Spider-Verse 3.Keep up with Sanford here: https://www.instagram.com/sanfordgreene/?hl=enFind Me:-------------------------------------------My Website : directeditionpodcast.comPATREON https://www.patreon.com/DavengersDirectEditionInstagram:   https://www.instagram.com/directeditionpodcast/Send us Fan MailSupport the show

Legendary cartoonist Stan Sakai returns to Direct Edition to discuss The Art of Stan Sakai, his first-ever Kickstarter: an oversized art book collecting five decades of work. Sakai shares his lifelong love of physical media, the trial-and-error watercolor technique that gives his paintings their glow, and the Koh-I-Noor pen he stockpiled 20 years ago when it was discontinued. The two discuss Sakai's 40-year friendship with Sergio Aragonés, broadening Usagi’s world with the Kagemusha project, Kaito 84, and Kurosawa's cinematic influence on his panels.KICKSTARTER LINK https://tinyurl.com/mp45pcmhttps://www.stansakai.com/directeditionpodcast.comJoin My Patreon https://www.patreon.com/davengersdirecteditionSend us Fan MailSupport the show

Artist Eric Zawadzki joins Dave to discuss Assorted Crisis Events, the ambitious, award-winning anthology co-created with writer Deniz Camp. Zawadzki talks visual reinvention, his innovative Pixar-style drafting process, and the impostor syndrome that flared up after winning an Eisner. The two discuss the word-of-mouth momentum that helped quadruple the book's sales, meeting Scott McCloud at San Diego, and why Michael Mann's Collateral sits in his all-time top ten films.Subscribe to Eric's channel https://inkxscribes.com/https://www.ericxyz.com/directeditionpodcast.comSupport the channel, join the Patreon!https://www.patreon.com/davengersdirecteditionBuy Direct Edition apparel https://www.teepublic.com/user/west-coast-davengersSend us Fan MailSupport the show

Writer Chris Condon joins Dave to discuss the return of That Texas Blood (Image Comics), his Indiana Jones-esque pulp adventure Ezra Cain (Vertigo), and Of the Earth (Image), his collaboration with Charlie Adlard. Condon shares his love of slow-burn storytelling, how trust fuels his ongoing creative partnerships, and the 70s cinema (Alien & Jaws) that shapes his writing. The two discuss the FX TV option in the works for That Texas Blood, his upcoming Thor project with Jesse Lonergan, and why the alien and the shark were never doing anything wrong.That Texas Blood : Hell Comes To Allison Ranch 1 is in comic stores 9/23 and you can find collected volumes 1, 2 & 3 everywhere, or order from your LCS.Follow Chris on BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:wmhnwos4zdjf6dtjl3dfvfyfdirecteditionpodcast.comJoin the community over at Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/davengersdirecteditionSend us Fan MailSupport the show

Matteo Scalera returns to Direct Edition to discuss his fill-in on Batman issues 13 and 14, part of Matt Fraction's Bad Seeds event. Scalera talks about saying yes after years of turning down DC, collaborating with colorist Tomeu Morey, and bringing choreographed intensity to the book's fight scenes inspired by movies like The Raid.The two discuss the passion fueling DC's current renaissance, the long journey of The Fourth Father to backers' hands, and Scalera's upcoming return to working with Mark Millar.Look for an additional video with Matteo on West Coast Davengers looking at Todd McFarlane's Spider-Man! https://www.youtube.com/@WestCoastDAVEngersdirecteditionpodcast.comJoin the Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/davengersdirecteditionSend us Fan MailSupport the show

Cartoonist Steve Skroce joins Dave to discuss Tales of Wonder, his new five-issue series with Image comics. Skroce shares how comedic films like Galaxy Quest and Tropic Thunder shaped the book's DNA, the creative falling out that inspired its themes, and why creative collaboration is always worth protecting. The two discuss Skroce’s years storyboarding all four Matrix films with the Wachowskis, how Geof Darrow's mentorship transformed his artistic approach, and the current resurgence of energy in comics.directeditionpodcast.comJoin the Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/davengersdirecteditionSend us Fan MailSupport the show