Boom! Studios Editor, Elizabeth Brei, joins the show! Elizabeth joins John and David for this Valentine’s Day Special to talk about the gatekeepers of the comics industry, where new comic readers should (and definitely shouldn’t) get started, making comics more accessible, and John and Elizabeth’s shared love of the manga, NANA. Also, David apologizes (once again), and John tries to explain industry BS.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of The Corner Box vs Elizabeth Brei.

Timestamp Segments

• [01:24] The first thing John ever said to Elizabeth.
• [02:07] David apologises.
• [03:03] Elizabeth discovers the podcast.
• [04:33] Self-publishing comics.
• [05:56] Elizabeth’s origin story.
• [09:35] John’s Diamond story.
• [12:23] Getting back into comics.
• [15:42] Why the industry is struggling.
• [17:27] John explains the BS.
• [21:07] Elizabeth’s recommendations for starters.
• [22:42] David’s 3 go-to first comics.
• [24:08] Which superhero comic would Elizabeth recommend?
• [26:06] The changing aesthetic of comics.
• [27:23] Discovering NANA.
• [28:47] The NANA 101.
• [34:20] NANA’s popularity.

Notable Quotes

• “I almost never recommend superhero comics.”
• “You can have a really emotional response to a comic book.”
• “NANA is still considered the most popular, the most successful shojo manga of all time.”

Relevant Links

David's Fun Stuff!
Did Someone Say Fun Time? Let's GO!

John is at PugW!
Pug WorldwideCornerbox.club.

Elizabeth Brei is Making Stuff!
Elizabeth Brei

Books Mentioned

• NANA, by Ai Yazawa.
• Last Song, by Elizabeth Brei & Kay Lucero.

————————————

• Good-bye, Chunky Rice, by Craig Thompson.
• Fear Itself.
• Final Crisis, by Grant Morrison.
• March, by John Lewis, Andrew Aidin, & Nate Powell.
• Maus, by Art Spiegelman.
• Paradise Kiss, by Ai Yazawa.
• Saga, by Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples.
• Sailor Moon, by Naoko Takeuchi.
• Scott Pilgrim, by Bryan Lee O’Malley.
• Secret Invasion, by Brian Michael Bendis, Leinil Yu, & Gabriele Dell’otto.
• We3, by Grant Morrison & Frank Quitely.
• Young Avengers, by Kieron Gillen & Jamie McKelvie.
• Young Avengers, by Allan Heinberg & Jim Cheung.

Writer Rich Douek (Batman, Edge of Spiderverse, Drive Like Hell, Heartpiercer) joins hosts John & David to talk about how Rich found his way into comics from prose-writing, turning ideas into stories, the ripple effects of tariffs and Diamond’s bankruptcy, succeeding with a great writer/artist team, and how marketing could save comic books. Plus, David has some thoughts on Infinity Comics, and Rich cooks with comics.

Timestamp Segments

• [00:50] Rich’s 173-year career.
• [01:46] David’s thoughts on the Infinity Comics.
• [04:57] When Rich started loving comic books.
• [08:34] Comics as a medium, not a genre.
• [11:15] Making comics a career.
• [16:35] Making ideas work.
• [18:31] John reviews Rich’s scripts.
• [20:02] Getting Gutter Magic out into the world.
• [23:34] Hitting it big with Road of Bones.
• [25:37] Sea of Sales!
• [26:55] 3 Worlds / 3 Moons.
• [30:52] What’s Rich up to now?
• [32:22] The current state of the industry.
• [34:00] The digital comics conspiracy.
• [35:11] The Diamond silver lining.
• [40:32] Saving comics with marketing.
• [45:34] Comic Book Kitchen.
• [50:05] Rich’s announcements.

Notable Quotes

• “It’s sphincter-clenching time around comic books.”
• “In the long-term, we’re going to see, the industry’s going to come out of this healthier than it was going into it.”
• “Getting people to understand that you have a book out is so different now than it was even 3-4 years ago.”

Relevant Links

David's Fun Stuff!
Did Someone Say Fun Time? Let's GO!

John is at PugW!
Pug WorldwideCornerbox.club.

Rich Douek is Making Cool Things!

www.rdouek.com

BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram | X/Twitter

Books Mentioned

• 3 Worlds / 3 Moons, by Mike del Mundo, Jonathan Hickman, Mike Huddleston, & Nick Spencer.
• Batman: Knightfall.
• Batman: The Brave and The Bold.
• Civil War, by Mark Miller & Steve McNiven.
• Conan.
• Death of Superman.
• Drive Like Hell, Road of Bones, Sea of Sorrows, by Rich Douek & Alex Cormack.
• Edge of the Spider-Verse.
• Flash Gordon Quarterly #2.
• Gutter Magic, by Rich Douek & Brett Barkley.
• Heartpiercer, by Rich Douek & Gavin Smith.
• The Invisibles.

Episode Summary

John & David discuss the state of the comics industry after losing Diamond, the possible future of the TMNT license, what taxes and tariffs could mean for the industry, reminisce about their fondest memories of reading comics while sick, then David goes down the rabbit hole of luchador films from the 1970s. Also, John has an epiphany about Walt Simonson.

Timestamp Segments

• [00:36] Reminiscing about being sick.
• [02:28] The comic book industry is not winning.
• [08:43] TMNT: The Ultimate Brand.
• [20:00] Taxes & tariffs (and what they mean for the industry).
• [29:22] El Santo and Blue Demon VS the Monsters.
• [36:44] John’s epiphany about Walt Simonson.

Notable Quotes

• “One of my fondest memories is me being really sick.”
• “The stuff that we’re doing is really hard, and it takes a lot of people a lot of time to do it.”
• “Start making cool stuff, and be proud of it, and charge what you have to charge to make that thing work.”
• “If you’re chasing the discount, you can’t compete with free.”

Relevant Links

Late Pledges Are Open!
Super Kaiju Rock n Roller Derby Fun Time Go Book #2 | Kickstarter

David's Fun Stuff!
Did Someone Say Fun Time? Let's GO!

John is at PugW!
Pug Worldwide

Viva El Santo!
Santo and Blue Demon VS the Monsters | YouTube.

Santo and Blue Demon VS Dracula and the Wolf Man | YouTube.

Books Mentioned

• Clue, by Paul Allor & Nelson Daniel.
• Elric, by Michael Moorcock & Walter Simonson.
• Hellcat, by Steve Englehart & Norm Breyfogle.
• The Last Ronin, by Kevin Eastman & Tom Waltz.
• Ragnarök, Star Slammers, by Walter Simonson.
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
• Transformers.
• World of Warcraft, by Walter Simonson, Ludo Lullabi, & Sandra Hope.
• X-Factor.