Few cartoonists have pushed the possibilities of the graphic novel as consistently as Bryan Talbot. From the groundbreaking The Adventures of Luther Arkwright and the deeply personal The Tale of One Bad Rat to the wildly imaginative world of Grandville, Bryan joins the Bandits to reflect on a remarkable career as a writer, artist, and comics innovator. The conversation explores his approach to visual storytelling, the evolution of the graphic novel, and his acclaimed collaborations with writer Mary M. Talbot before turning to their latest work, Lo! An Amazon! The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Mary Wollstonecraft. Bryan discusses bringing the pioneering 18th-century writer, radical thinker, and advocate for women’s rights to life on the page, the research and artistic challenges of recreating her turbulent era, and what makes Wollstonecraft’s story feel so relevant today.

Lo! An Amazon! arrives this fall from SelfMadeHero. You can follow Bryan on his site bryan-talbot.com or on Instagram @bryantalbotofficial.

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The world knew Stan Lee as the larger-than-life face of Marvel Comics, but the final years of his life tell a far more complicated and heartbreaking story. Filmmaker Jonathan Bolerjack joins the Bandits to discuss Stan Lee: The Final Chapter, his powerful new documentary built from hundreds of hours of never-before-seen footage he captured while working closely with Stan during the last four years of his life. Jonathan talks about how his relationship with Stan evolved from filmmaker and subject into friendship, what he witnessed as competing interests fought for access to the aging comics legend, and the difficult decisions that came with documenting events while also trying to help someone he cared about. He also discusses the long and sometimes controversial journey to bring the film to audiences and, ultimately, his hope that The Final Chapter allows viewers to see the human being behind the Stan Lee legend.

You can follow Jonathan on Instagram @jonbolerjack_.

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What happens when the horror host becomes part of the horror story? Returning guest Chris Irving joins the Bandits to discuss Joe Unknown #1, the first in his new three-issue miniseries with artist Nick Justus about a comic book horror host facing what may be his final story. Chris digs into the inspirations behind the series—from classic horror comics and The Twilight Zone to Mike Allred’s Madman—and how his years as a comics historian and writer helped shape this very personal take on the medium. Along the way, we talk about the strange appeal of horror hosts, blurring the line between creator and creation, and bringing Joe Unknown’s world to life.

The Kickstarter campaign has successfully been funded, but late pledges are still available at kck.st/4girIFv.

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Before they became writers, editors, historians, filmmakers, and some of the most familiar names in comics, they were DC’s Junior Woodchucks. On this very special episode, Michael Uslan, Jack C. Harris, Paul Levitz, Bob Rozakis, Anthony Tollin, and Steve Mitchell reunite to look back at their early days as young fans working behind the scenes at DC Comics during the 1970s. More than 50 years later, the Woodchucks reflect on the friendships they formed, the remarkable careers that followed, and what it was like to have a front-row seat to one of the most memorable eras in DC history.

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Australian cartoonist Campbell Whyte has built a career around the idea that comics can be as much about place and community as they are about storytelling. On this episode, Campbell joins the Bandits to discuss his acclaimed, Eisner-nominated Home Time series and his latest graphic novel, Luna Express, exploring how his hometown of Perth, childhood memories, manga, video games, and Australian culture have shaped his wonderfully eclectic approach to #comics. The conversation also dives into Campbell’s love of experimenting with different artistic styles and his work beyond the drawing board, including co-founding the Milktooth School of Art and Stories and the Perth Comic Arts Festival, where he has helped foster a vibrant comics community and inspire a new generation of cartoonists.

You can follow Campbell’s work at CampbellWhyte.com and on Instagram @campbellwhyte.

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Comics can do so much! Author/artist double-threats Gideon Kendall, Miss Lasko-Gross, and Rick Parker assemble to discuss how they have used comics to explore their stories and real-life experiences. Sometimes they probe memories and at other points they use comics to bend reality as they share in words and illustration. Gideon is known for his work on WAIT...It Gets Worse, I Am the Audience, WHATZIT, and more. Miss is known for Henni, A Mess of Everything, The Sweetness, and more. And Rick has worked on Marvel titles, as well as the autobiographical OGN Drafted.

We tackle questions of process, inspiration, and tap into future works that these creators are envisioning.

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Few people have chronicled the modern comics industry as closely—or for as long—as Heidi MacDonald. On this episode, the longtime journalist, editor, and founder and editor-in-chief of The Beat joins the Bandits for a wide-ranging conversation about her career and the ever-changing world of comics. Heidi reflects on launching The Beat in 2004, her earlier work as an editor at Disney and DC/Vertigo, and how comics journalism has evolved alongside the industry itself. The conversation also explores the state of comics today, the challenges facing publishers, retailers, creators, and journalists, and how fandom and the business have transformed over the decades. Along the way, Heidi shares insights gained from a career spent not just reporting on comics, but helping document an extraordinary period of change for the medium.

You can read Heidi and the rest of the team at The Beat at ComicsBeat.com, and follow Heidi on Bluesky @comixace.bsky.social for her latest comics news, commentary, and industry observations.

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Comic book history is best preserved by the people who were there—and by those determined to capture their stories before they disappear. On this episode, comics historian and longtime collector David Armstrong joins the Bandits to share his extraordinary journey through more than six decades of comics fandom, beginning with attending some of the earliest comic conventions in the 1960s. David discusses meeting legendary figures like Bill Finger and Otto Binder, his efforts to document the history of the medium, and the remarkable series of filmed interviews he conducted with more than 40 pioneering creators from the Platinum, Golden, and Silver Ages, including Will Eisner, Jerry Robinson, Julius Schwartz, Marie Severin, Joe Simon, and many more. Along the way, David shares firsthand stories from comics history and reflects on why preserving the voices and memories of the people who built the industry remains so important for future generations.

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