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/mp45pcm

https://www.stansakai.com/

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Cartoonist and musician Nick Thorburn (Islands, The Unicorns) joins Dave to talk about his new book Pear Shape from Fantagraphics, and Taste of Cherry, the debut album from his band The Creem.
Thorburn talks about his creative approach to writing both comics and songs, the lifelong pull toward gallows humor and tenderness, and the freedom of letting stories reveal themselves as he works.
The two discuss the early influence of Fantagraphics, the power of light-and-dark contradictions in art, Canada, and why comics remain a limitless medium for creators.

https://www.fantagraphics.com/collections/nick-thorburn?srsltid=AfmBOormMRB3XNjyWlPg_44AF2xYoGQEakXLr68FTaqcHA0FfeV235Bs

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Jim Ward returns to talk with Dave about Sparta's new album Cut a Silhouette, out now on Equal Vision Records.

Ward shares how a manager's blunt critique sparked three of the record's best songs, working with Jawbox founder and producer J. Robbins as a shepherd and mentor, and bridging his earliest work with who he is now.

The two discuss the ticket price fatigue reshaping the touring industry, co-founding the Girls Rock camp in El Paso, Hayley Williams, and the elusive "Jims" supergroup featuring Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World.

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Writer and Filmmaker Che Grayson joins Dave to discuss Absolute Catwoman, the DC project they're co-writing with Scott Snyder and artist Bengal.

Grayson shares how their indie roots and pandemic-era Zoom calls with Snyder led to the collaboration, and the creative energy that has allowed the Absolute line to resonate.

The two discuss Easter eggs hidden in the first two issues, the essential role of horror films in shaping their creative voice, and why great art should always have something to say.

Plus, Bagels.

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