For this episode, the Bandits welcome cartoonist, educator, and comics historian Jim Rugg for a wide-ranging discussion about his career, his love of comics history, and his latest book, Wolverine: Weapon X from Bloomsbury's Marvel Age of Comics series. Jim reflects on discovering comics, balancing creative work with criticism and education, and the lasting impact of Cartoonist Kayfabe on the comics community. The conversation then turns to Barry Windsor-Smith's legendary Weapon X storyline, exploring its groundbreaking storytelling, horror influences, artistic innovations, and enduring legacy in Wolverine mythology. Jim also discusses the process of analyzing a classic work from both a creator's and scholar's perspective, offering readers fresh insights into one of Marvel's most influential comics and why it remains essential reading decades after its original publication.

You can pick up Wolverine: Weapon X wherever you get your books and much of Jim's other work at his site, jimrugg.com. Follow him on Instagram @jimruggart.

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Joe Staton Returns

Joe Staton returns to the Bandits, discussing his work from comic strips to comic books. Joe explores character design, reflecting on his contributions to Green Lantern and Guy Gardner. He discusses collaborating with writers over the years and speaks to the improvisational nature of monthly comics. Joe also expands on world building and mentions his work on the Dick Tracy comic strip, as well as his work in books like Batman and Robin Adventures.

And if you're in the Charlotte, NC area this weekend (June 12-14), you can catch Joe at HeroesCon!

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Paul Jenkins, multimedia writer extraordinaire, is back on the Bandits to discuss his highly anticipated return to Marvel Comics, including new stories featuring two of the publisher's most complex heroes: The Sentry and Captain Marvel. Paul reflects on revisiting Bob Reynolds more than two decades after co-creating the character and less than a year after his MCU debut, explores the psychological themes that continue to make The Sentry unique, and shares insights into working with artist Christian Rosado on the latest chapter of the Golden Guardian of Good. The conversation also dives into Captain Marvel: Dark Past, examining Carol Danvers' evolving legacy, the challenges of writing powerful heroes with deeply human flaws, and the themes that connect these new projects. Along the way, Paul looks back on his celebrated Marvel career, discusses characters he'd still love to revisit, and offers fans a glimpse into this exciting new chapter of his storytelling journey.

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