Art finds us when we need it most. Spectrum, the new Mad Cave Studios series from creators Dave Chisholm and Rick Quinn, is an astonishing sci-fi saga that begins inside the Seattle WTO protests of 1999 and propels its characters into a realm where music grants flight. The central character, Melody, can't quite discern what's real and what's not - …

Got a question, comment, or just want to drop some encouragement? Send us a text. What if understanding your past could transform your present relationships and parenting journey? This episode promises to guide you through the nuanced dynamics of becoming both a strong parent and partner, featuring the relatable story of Jude and Grant, who navigat…

What a difference a week can make, huh? When we recorded our conversation with Kelly Sue DeConnick, we were still weeks away from the American election, but now, here we are, living in its aftermath. We couldn't have been the only ones with three little letters rattling around our brains these last batch of days. FML. You're damn right. Kelly Sue D…

Got a question, comment, or just want to drop some encouragement? Send us a text. Transform passive-aggressive tension into moments of connection with proven communication strategies for parenting partners. Join us, Dr. Stephen Mitchell and Erin Mitchell, as we explore how understanding the essential pause between feeling and reaction can change th…

Got a question, comment, or just want to drop some encouragement? Send us a text. Have you ever wondered if focusing too much on your kids might be pulling you away from your partner? Join us as we unravel this intricate conundrum through the lens of Regina and Sebastian, a couple attempting to juggle the needs of their relationship with the demand…

Two weeks later, we're still recovering from New York Comic Con 2024. This may have been our third year attending, but we've never experienced a comic convention quite like this one, and it may take a few more months before we've actually processed everything that happened. A major factor differentiating this event from any that came before was our…

It doesn't take long to recognize pop culture's influence on the work of Michael Allred. Whether we're talking Madman, X-Statix, or Silver Surfer, his comics radiate his passion for music, art, and life. Some references are easy to spot, a few a little trickier, and others impossible unless you know the man personally. For us, his comics mostly equ…

Got a question, comment, or just want to drop some encouragement? Send us a text. Unlock the secrets to a stronger parenting partnership as we explore the intricate interplay of trust and communication in relationships. What happens when differing parenting styles collide, especially during nighttime duties? Join us to uncover how real-life couple …

Got a question, comment, or just want to drop some encouragement? Send us a text. Have you ever found yourself caught in a whirlwind of negative banter with your partner, wondering how it all escalated so quickly? Join us as we explore the pitfalls of critical behavior in relationships through the story of Janelle and Hector. This episode reveals h…

Dracula permeates everything. Before we're five years old, we know his story. It's baked into the cultural imagination. However, if you were to hold that story up to the light, you'd immediately notice a lot of holes. In Bram Stoker's iconic work, Dracula appears less frequently than you would think, and his backstory is referenced in short bursts …

Hey, you. Stop doom scrolling. You've landed where you belong. Ben Clarkson and Matt Bors return to Comic Book Couples Counseling with another Justice Warriors book, Vote Harder. And they're back just when we need them most, weeks away from a critical, very American election. As in the best romantic comedies, Swamp Cop and Officer Schitt are torn a…

Got a question, comment, or just want to drop some encouragement? Send us a text. What happens to intimacy when children enter the picture? Many parents find themselves asking this question, and we're here to provide some insights. Join us, Dr. Stephen and Erin Mitchell, as we untangle the complex web of maintaining a healthy sex life post-kids. Th…

In this article, the top ten reasons why reading comics criticism will increase your sex drive. Yeah, that's right, we need your clicks! We live in an apocalypse where thoughtful online comics criticism decreases in value every minute. However, you know comics criticism is essential to the industry's ecosystem and community because you're an intell…

It's been a trip to get to this moment. Since we saw Nick Dragotta's design for Absolute Batman, an intense anticipation took hold of us. However, if you think it's been a long journey from our Batman AF introduction at San Diego Comic-Con, it's been an even longer and more thoughtful one for Dragotta and his collaborator Scott Snyder. They've nood…

Got a question, comment, or just want to drop some encouragement? Send us a text. Have you ever had a fight with your partner that left you both feeling distant and unsure of how to reconnect? In this episode of Couples Counseling for Parents, Erin and Dr. Stephen Mitchell dive deep into the art of repairing after conflict. Using the relatable stor…

This week's episode is a full-circle moment. We began our podcast five years ago, discussing the romantic entanglements between Scott Summers and Jean Grey as depicted in The Dark Phoenix Saga. Now, we're honored, and in a bit of disbelief, to welcome writer Chris Claremont onto the show. His contributions to the medium have been some of the most s…

Got a question, comment, or just want to drop some encouragement? Send us a text. In today's episode, Stephen and Erin tackle the feeling many couples experience after kids—that sinking thought that "maybe I’ll never feel truly loved or appreciated." Using the high-stress periods of pregnancy and birth as a case study, they break down how partners …

If you think comic books and their audience resist continuity changes, you must consider the death grip comic strips have on their characters. Charlie Brown was never allowed to kick the football and was also denied a wardrobe. His life sentence was that yellow shirt. Mutts cartoonist Patrick McDonnell accepts the pressures of his medium and believ…

Racing on the heels of Batman Day, we celebrate eighty-five years of the Caped Crusader by finally digging into one of our recent favorite Dark Knight stories, Batman: City of Madness by Christian Ward. Technically, this is our third conversation with Ward about this particular story, but it's the first one where we can dig into it page-by-page, go…

The instant the internet glimpsed Nick Dragotta's bold, BIG design for Absolute Batman, it lost its mind. Since the initial San Diego Comic-Con reveal, emotions have intensified around it, and the fan art has flowed like a dam burst. The first issue is still weeks away, but Final Order Cutoff is here (TODAY!), and Scott Snyder joins the podcast to …

Sneak into any comic book geek's home, and you'll probably find copies of Marvels and Kingdom Come. What about Uncle Sam, though? The series hit shops in 1997 from DC's Vertigo label, and it sparked provocative thought from those who read it, but for whatever reason, it did not resonate as soundly within the direct market crowd as Alex Ross' more r…

When cartoonists like Daniel Warren Johnson and Riley Rossmo come together, the rest of us better take notice. The Moon Is Following Us drops its first issue on September 18th, and it's a jam comic with a fierce narrative engine and an even more assertive take-notice paint job. Set within the waking and sleeping worlds, Johnson handles the former w…

We did it. We've completed our San Diego Comic-Con coverage. Twelve podcasts in August. Too much? Maybe, but no regrets, and there is no better way to wrap up our Comic-Con celebrations than with Star Trek group editor Heather Antos and superstar writer Ryan North discussing Star Trek: Lower Decks and its new mission at IDW Publishing. Since its st…

Hey, don't tell us. We'll tell you. The suits who bankroll the industry think they know what we want to read. They have no idea. Marginalizing voices is an active pursuit where financial concerns are frequently used as an excuse. The Horizon Experiment has faith in us, placing its future in our wallets, betting we'll support originality in genres g…

Once upon a time, cartoonist JP Ahonen fell out of love with his art. He'd reached a wall. It was burnout. He'd lost the joy found in creation. Then, he just started to doodle, and an Inktober project became a runaway success. Belzebubs, the saga of a black metal family, significantly inspired by Calvin and Hobbes, sprung from his brain, and there …

In a few short years, James Tynion IV has become a beacon within comics. When you walk into a shop, you don't have to look long before you stumble upon one of his comics. He's seemingly everywhere, spreading beyond the four color realm, and no matter the title he's attached to, it's worth a perusal. Back in July, at San Diego Comic-Con, we sat down…

Got a question, comment, or just want to drop some encouragement? Send us a text. One of the most complex relationships to navigate for parenting partners is relationships with their parents and in-laws. What can parenting partners do to have healthy relationships with their parents/in-laws and give their kids strong relationship with grandparents?…

At this year's San Diego Comic-Con, the family was at the forefront of DC creators' minds. We couldn't escape the topic when discussing superheroics. Plus, we've been pretty anxious on the podcast, contemplating the ramifications of city saviors placing their loved ones above the citizens of Gotham City and Metropolis. Does the person on the street…

This year's San Diego Comic-Con brought a lot of news. Possibly the most surprising and easily the most exciting was DC's announcement that The New Gods were coming back to comic shops and that their latest saga would be steered by writer Ram V and artist Evan Cagle. While these characters loom large over the DC universe, they've rarely carried a s…

Last year, cartoonist Juni Ba had an epic Fall, releasing multiple all-timers in one month. We had him on the show and told him the output would be difficult to top in 2024, and he humbly said he had a few projects already lined up and would do his best. With The Boy Wonder about to wrap and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Nightwatcher #1 hitting sta…

In October, DC asks its creators and readers to go All In regarding a new status quo. No matter their history with these characters or their knowledge of them, readers can pick up any single issue on the stands, begin a new adventure, and easily comprehend the event and its possibilities. It starts with The All In Special, released on October 2nd, …

As San Diego Comic-Con began its last day, we met with Joey Esposito and Sean Von Gorman in the Hilton lobby to thoroughly discuss their brand-new superhero, The Pedestrian. Just when you dismiss the genre's ability to create or support a new spandex character, architects like Esposito and Von Gorman come around to rejuvenate the space with an absu…

We're mostly unpacked from San Diego Comic-Con, and we begin this week's podcast by discussing the show's big highlight. No, it's not RDJ as Doctor Doom. After working through the con highs and lows, we invite cartoonist Wes Craig into our Zoom room for the first time so we can thoroughly investigate his all-ages epic, Kaya. In an era where publish…

Hopefully, you've had some time with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 by Jason Aaron and Joëlle Jones. The record-breaking comic seemingly found its way into everyone's pullbox last week. Despite San Diego Comic-Con taking over much of the discourse, the IDW Publishing relaunch snatched tremendous attention and fueled equal excitement. As promised, …

Got a question, comment, or just want to drop some encouragement? Send us a text. Does talking about emotions matter? We see so many couples were one partner's primary complaint is that their partner cannot talk about how they feel. Stephen Mitchell, PhD and Erin Mitchell, MACP discuss whether talking about emotions matters and what couples can do …

Reporting live from San Diego Comic-Con, we're chatting with Gail Simone about everything she has going on at the moment, including the incredible Misty 2024 Special from Rebellion Publishing. When editors first approached her with the project, she'd never read the previous British series. However, after a few issues, Simone was hooked and saw her …

It's easy to despair. Fear and frustration spread quickly, and their hold has hooks hard to shake. Don't fall into the discourse trap; free yourself by following the light radiating from the medium's champions. Find folks like Deb Aoki and Christopher Woodrow-Butcher and grab firm. Through their Mangasplaining podcast (co-hosted with David Brothers…

There is power in putting your life on the page. Cartoonist Maurice Vellekoop discovered it when making the internal external, crafting a massive graphic novel memoir over eleven years. I'm So Glad We Had This Time Togethergorgeously and nakedly splays his experience for EVERYONE to consume, and while his audience could/should find it healingly ref…

Got a question, comment, or just want to drop some encouragement? Send us a text. Is the preoccupied attachment style really just needy? We examine how childhood experiences shape adult relationships, focusing on preoccupied attachment. Stephen Mitchell, PhD and Erin Mitchell, MACP discuss what preoccupied attachment is, how it impacts a couple rel…

When it comes to cool collaborators, Matt Kindt has had quite a few. He partnered with CBCC all-star Matt Lesniewski on Crimson Flower. He and David Rubin gave us the blazing sci-fi adventure Ether. And with Ron Garney and Keanu Reeves, Matt Kindt birthed the This Is Spinal Tap version of Conan the Barbarian. Don't deny it: BRZRKR is proudly cranke…

Got a question, comment, or just want to drop some encouragement? Send us a text. Ever wondered if an avoidant partner can truly connect emotionally? We examine how childhood experiences shape adult relationships, focusing on avoidant attachment. Stephen Mitchell, PhD and Erin Mitchell, MACP discuss what avoidant attachment is, how it impacts a cou…

Are you ready to meet our new favorite henchman, Barfly? Jordan Blum, Patton Oswalt, Kyle Starks, and Ryan Browne are eager to make introductions. Their new series, spun "from the world of Minor Threats," drills even deeper into the philosophical pursuit initiated by the original run that began two years ago. The lowliest punk in Twilight City has …

What's the ideal environment for making a comic? We toss the question to Sean Phillips and Jacob Phillips, and they ponder it for a moment. They've never experienced it, and they're not sure it's possible, or if it was, that they'd want it. Deadlines loom over all, making every comic an emergency. This urgency helps them accomplish their craft, and…

We get serious with Jordan Morris, whether he wants us to or not. He returns to the podcast with his new graphic novel, Youth Group, done in collaboration with artist Bowen McCurdy. It's a wickedly winky narrative about a young goth girl named Kay reluctantly following her mother's instructions to join a Christian youth group and discovering that t…

How you define your relationship determines its trajectory. If you see your romance as a triumph over adversity, you will triumph. This is one of the many lessons we took from our long ago exploration of Drs. John and Julie Gottman, and we discuss their philosophy thoroughly on this week's podcast with Maria Bamford and Scott Marvel Cassidy. Their …

The Gill-man just does it for us. Or Lisa, more specifically. You can have your Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, Wolf Man, and Invisible Man; we'll take the wet and wild one off your hands any day of the week. Creature from the Black Lagoon Lives! And no more ravishingly than in our hearts. Where other Universal Monsters stem from rich, lurid liter…

Got a question, comment, or just want to drop some encouragement? Send us a text. There are three questions that parenting partners are asking one another every day. They might not be asking them directly but in their conflict, in their frustration, in their stress these are the questions that underline all of these interactions. Stephen Mitchell, …

It's been a week. You've had a minute. The sixth and final issue of Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees is out there, living its life, rattling around our collective imaginations. We need to talk about it. You need to talk about it. Let's talk about it together. And drag cartoonist Patrick Horvath into the chat, crack his melon open, and root aroun…

He's back—like you've never seen him before. Kyle Starks, the writer behind I Hate This Place, Peacemaker Tries Hard!, and Where Monsters Lie, just released an original graphic novel at First Second that's all-ages and without swears. Karate Prom is a heart-forward action adventure about two teens who find love in the ring, or after it, when Sam kn…

Got a question, comment, or just want to drop some encouragement? Send us a text. It's something most parenting partners feel but no one really talks about: Loneliness. That's right. Many parenting partners find themselves feeling lonely during the parenting years and it can be hard to talk about with your partner. This feeling of loneliness can al…