Bad Thoughts and Black Ops Ande Parks

In part 1 of The Bendis Tapes, we’ve got a double shot of Brian Michael Bendis that hits both his past and his next big moves. First up, Powers is back with issue 8 from Dark Horse Comics, dropping Wednesday. And here’s the kicker. Powers isn’t just living on the page. It’s back in development, this time as an animated series at Netflix. That format might finally be the right fit to capture the scale and grit of Bendis and Oeming’s world without compromise.At the same time, Bendis is crossing universes again. Also out Wednesday is the Marvel and DC crossover Spider-Man Superman, featuring a brand new story from Bendis and Sara Pichelli, where Miles Morales meets Superman. 

Today on Word Balloon, I’m talking with a guy who’s built a career jumping between crime, history, and deeply human storytelling, Ande Parks. You know him from powerful graphic novels like Union Station and Capote in Kansas, and from his work across comics and film, where he always finds a way to ground big ideas in real emotion. Now he’s back with something new, and it’s a sharp turn into darker territory. We’re talking about Bad Thoughts, his latest project from Ignition Press.It’s a military espionage story on the surface, but underneath there’s something far stranger and more unsettling at work. This isn’t just about missions and secrets. It’s about what happens when the battlefield starts bending reality itself. And visually, the book hits just as hard. It’s brought to life by Dave Wachter, whose gritty, atmospheric style perfectly matches the tension and psychological edge of the story.

From the streets to the sketchbooks, this conversation dives deep into Only in New York, the upcoming graphic anthology from my guests Dean Haspiel, Doug Latino, and Eli Schwab. Arriving Fall 2026 from Cosmic Lion Productions and Real Life Comix, this 216 page hardcover delivers 50 short stories capturing the grit, absurdity, heartbreak, and humor of life in New York City. There kickstarter cmpaign is now active. If you enjoy the old McSweeny anthologies this book is for you. 

From Comixology, a new hilarious graphic novel about a Doctor who gives therapy to all sorts of monsters and deamons. 

Scene Missing returns with co-host Gabriel Hardman for a deep dive into the ink-stained world of filmmaker Samuel Fuller and his hard-edged newspaper stories. From the crusading idealism of Power of the Press to the scrappy, street-level ambition of Park Row, and the tabloid-fueled moral collapse at the heart of Scandal Sheet, we trace how Fuller’s real-life reporting experience shaped his cinematic voice.We get into the recurring themes that define these films: truth versus profit, the cost of ambition, and the thin line between journalist and opportunist. Hardman brings a filmmaker’s eye to Fuller’s visual storytelling, while we connect the dots between these movies and the larger legacy of newspaper noir. It’s a conversation about headlines, headlines makers, and the messy human stories behind both.

Joe Casey’s back, and he’s not here to play it safe. The architect is returning to the world that helped define a generation, BEN10 this time at Dynamite Entertainment with a bold new take aimed straight at the fans who grew up with the Omnitrix. Expect something sharper and more evolved, Casey revisiting his own legacy with the kind of perspective you only get after decades in the trenches.This July, He’s teaming with Robert Kirkman for a major new project at Skybound Entertainment, TERMINAL . A new superhero team with an absolute killer lineup of artists: Adam Kubert, David Finch, and Art Adams.We also get into Casey’s work with Man of Action Entertainment, the powerhouse studio behind modern animation hits, and how the rules have changed. Today’s audience is faster, more distracted, and far less patient with traditional storytelling rhythms. Casey breaks down what animation studios need to do to keep up, from tighter pacing and stronger hooks to designing stories that can live across platforms, not just in a 30 minute block. It’s a smart look at where animation is headed, and what it takes to actually hold attention in 2026.

Eric is writing the new Bizarro Year None with Kevin Smith and Nick Pitarra. Think of it as the reverse mirror image of All Star Superman. It's Jimmy Olsen and Perry White trapped in a very dark Bizarro World held by a very evil Bizarro.Wealso reflect on Eric's workon the Supergirl TV show and his thoughts on the upcoming movie, His work on Masters Of The Universe Revelations, with the new film coming up. Plus new animation with Zack Snyder and a look back at Justice League Action. 

In Part 2, Mike Carlin dives deeper into his defining years at DC Comics, sharing behind-the-scenes stories from his time shaping Superman and reflects on co-editing the landmark Marvel vs. DC alongside Mark Gruenwald, which led to the wild creative experiment of Amalgam Comics. From there, Carlin discusses his role as DC’s animation liaison from 2010 to 2011, helping bridge the gap between comics and screen on a range of shows and films, as well as his contributions to the energetic DC Nation Shorts.Plus collaborating with Jerry Ordway on The Power Of Shazam. Revistiting his run as a writer on Star Trek comics, including the first Star Trek: The Next Generation miniseries He even brings things full circle with recent work in Mad Magazine, proving his voice in comics remains as sharp and versatile as ever.

In Part 1 of this conversation, Mike Carlin takes us back to where it all began, starting with his 1974 internship at DC Comics under legendary editor Julius Schwartz and the early lessons that shaped his editorial instincts. Carlin then charts his path into Marvel Comics, breaking in through the irreverent Crazy Magazine before landing as an assistant editor under Mark Gruenwald, where he worked on powerhouse titles like Thor and Captain America.Then he takes us to the jump to DC where his legendary run as Supermn editor began. It is a candid, ground-level look at Carlin’s formative years, learning the craft, navigating the bullpen, and building the foundation for a career that would eventually reshape Superman and beyond.