Off Panel #570: The 2026 Superhero State of the Union with Oliver Sava

Writer and White Ash Comics' publisher/CEO Charlie Stickney joins the show to talk about the White Ash line and its fit as an imprint of IDW. Stickney discusses the path to that IDW deal, launching something with built-in awareness, the format for White Ash's new releases, moving into comics from film and TV, White Ash's origins, why it was the story he wanted to tell, reader feedback's impact, why he wanted to lean into the direct market, the details of the IDW deal, release schedules, the greatness of Conor Hughes, shifting away from Kickstarter, breaking into crowdfunding, a tip for crowdfunders, the state of the comic industry, what he wants for himself, and more.

Artist Sanford Greene joins the show to talk about this moment for artists and his work in this week's DC All In Saga: Darkseid vs. the World #1. Greene discusses his New York Comic Con experience, the evolution of his career, Power Man & Iron Fist's impact, the hip hop and comics overlap, the shift back towards artists, Marvel Style, the origins of Darkseid vs. the World, the interesting niche he's building, making the story work visually, thinking outside the box, the original art market's impact on his work, how he decides which projects to take on, what affects his decision making, the power of creator-owned, what he wants for himself next, NBA takes, and more.

Writer G. Willow Wilson joins the show for the first time to talk about her journey in comics and her work on titles like Poison Ivy at DC and Black Cat at Marvel. Wilson discusses her thoughts on conventions, comic book gateways, the appeal of comics to her as a reader and creator, the small stories of superheroes, being a rule follower, the anger and roots of Poison Ivy, playing with reader expectations, finding her stories, creating Kamala Khan, what made her want to make comics, relationships in comics, the business side of the job, how the length of Poison Ivy shaped it, her plan for the series, how Poison Ivy became the mayor of Gotham City, the story behind Bad Seeds, her love of soccer, the overlap between sports and soccer fandoms, and more.

Writer/artist Patrick Horvath joins the show to talk about Archie in Hell, Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees, and his journey through comics. Horvath discusses juggling multiple projects, figuring out the world of comics, his intense first few years, rolling with what comics brings you, Archie in Hell, what goes into Beneath the Trees, figuring out his angle to Archie horror, Tyler Crook's impact, writing for others, his larger plan for Beneath the Trees, Samantha Strong's backstory, how people respond to her, the Beneath the Trees Halloween Special, the title's time jumps, the biggest things he's learned from comics, what he wants going forward, and more.

Cartoonist Beetle Moses joins the show to talk about his webcomic, Beetle Moses, and its first print collection, Beetle Moses: A Comics Menagerie. Beetle Moses discusses his SPX experience, engaging with readers, what 2026 has been like, surprising influences, his longform comics, The Far Side overlap, bringing yourself to the work, Beetle Moses: A Comics Menagerie, figuring out what to include in the book, pop culture references, the important of going print, keeping the special sauce, breaking up rhythms, the different sides of comics, what he wants for himself, and more.

Art rep Felix Lu joins the show to talk about the story behind his company, Felix Comic Art, and the original comic art market. Lu discusses the evolution of Felix Comic Art, building relationships, what an art rep does, how the artists he works with push each other, commissions as business cards, the origins of Felix Comic Art, the power of word of mouth, figuring out who to work with, the evolution of the original art market, investments, the variant world, passion's place in original art collecting, helping artists with their careers, the personality side of things, whether there's space for lower budget customers, and more.

Writer Rob Williams joins the show to talk about his career in comics and his next big project, Judge Dredd: The New Future. Williams discusses managing workloads, writing versus co-writing, learning from collaborators, the TV/comic overlap, the power of trust, Judge Dredd: A Better World's accessibility, the versatility of Dredd, his ronin era, the flow of Petrol Head, the roots of Judge Dredd: A Better World and The New Future, 2000 AD blindness, standing alone as a Dredd writer, navigating a career in comics, and more.

Comics critic Oliver Sava joins the show for the ninth annual Superhero State of the Union, as we talk about where DC, Marvel, and other superhero comics are today. Sava discusses Marvel's big changes, its lack of urgency, the publisher's necessary fixes, its lack of cohesion, the artist gap, Doom exhaustion, the number of Marvel events, the upcoming Midnight line, where we stand on DC, the current Batman book, Absolute DC, Hayden Sherman's greatness, Next Level's merits, the Big Two crossovers, Chris Samnee's glory, the Fourth World, superhero titles outside the Big Two, what's next for DC and Marvel, and more.

Writer Olivia Dufault joins the show to talk about her comic journey and her new comic, Prima Apparata. Dufault discusses the roots of ideas, her comic origins, the impact of libraries, her writing journey, the overlap between theater and comics, breaking into comics, where Prima Apparata came from, her very original ideas, the lead characters of the book, Rebekah Isaacs, its ballet elements, the book's ashcan, the book's different titles, Ignition Press, her pride in the book, her comic writing future, and more.

Writer Jack Mulqueen joins the show to talk about his atypical path to comics and new series at Vault, Project Perseus. Mulqueen discusses why he started writing comics, his job as a nightlife developer, the community of comics, Mike Tyson experiences, self-publishing comics, being a part of comics, the origins of Project Perseus, the greatness of artist Edison Neo, bringing the book to life, its bananas energy, the characters of the book, working with Vault, whether he wants to keep making comics going forward, his next steps for writing, the New York Knicks' championship, the upcoming NBA season, and more.