The Superfan Podcast Returns!
- Byron O'Neal
- 5 minutes ago
- 6 min read
The Superfan Podcast Returns with Superstar Comic Book Creators Jim Rugg, Maia Kobabe, Johnnie Christmas, Paul Pope, Erica Henderson, and Elsa Charretier
The Podcast Where the People Who Make the Comics You Love
Talk About the Things They Love… That Aren’t Comics
What fascinates, captivates, and influences the people who create comics and graphic novels? In Season Two of the Superfan Podcast co-hosts Kristen Simon (Executive Editor at Mad Cave Studios’ Nakama Press), Christian Gossett (Story Artist, Eyes of Wakanda, The Red Star), and Superfan Promotions founder David Hyde will talk with some of the biggest stars of the comic book industry to find out what they’re passionate about — outside of comics.
The Superfan Podcast season two debuts with a conversation about professional wrestling with Eisner and Ignatz Award winning cartoonist, designer, zinemaker, and illustrator Jim Rugg (True Crime Funnies, Hulk Grand Design). In the freewheeling, no-holds-barred episode, Rugg reflects on who has the best gimmick in wrestling, the appeal of heels and heroes, and the art of kayfabe.
Season Two of the Superfan Podcast features an all-star line-up of award-winning writers and artists, including Gender Queer cartoonist Maia Kobabe on the appeal of K-pop, #1 New York Times bestselling cartoonist Johnnie Christmas (Swim Team) on the mystery of Mike Flanagan’s Midnight Mass, Eisner Award-winning artist/designer Paul Pope (THB) on the glorious career of guitarist Rowland S Howard, Eisner Award-winning artist Erica Henderson (The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl) on her love of Terry Pratchett’s seminal, satirical Discworld novels and acclaimed artist Elsa Charretier (Love Everlasting) on the many merits of game-based dog training. For each episode, the co-hosts also share a dessert recipe and a recommended cocktail and mocktail inspired by the conversation.
“As AI continues to creep into our lives, it’s arguably more important than ever to celebrate the people who make the art we love. It’s been tremendously rewarding to talk with creative people that we admire about the things that they’re deeply passionate about.” - co-host David Hyde
“When I listen to my favorite creators speak, what I’m hoping for are insights about the moments that we so rarely hear described,” said co-host Christian Gossett, who was the writer, artist, and creator of the hit Image Comics series The Red Star before working on movies for George Lucas, Peter Jackson, and Tim Burton, and directing television episodes for the CW network. “How is what creators love built into what they do? What is it they are trying to bring to their chosen genres? What cultural gap are they unknowingly attempting to fill? The Superfan Podcast has helped inspire these kinds of conversations, and that’s very exciting for us.”
Gossett is best known for his radical concept drawing of a double-bladed lightsaber, which was personally approved by George Lucas and was later introduced as the signature weapon of Darth Maul. For both season one and two of the Superfan Podcast, he has drawn portraits of each of the guests. Season one features Rodney Barnes on Stephen King, Marc Guggenheim on Billy Joel, , Kelly Sue DeConnick on Alan Alda, Matt Kindt on John le Carré, Marjorie Liu on gardening, and Patrick McDonnell on Frank Zappa.
“Especially with everything going on in the world, it feels extra important to celebrate joy and creativity,” said co-host Kris Simon. “The conversations on the Superfan Podcast are deep dives into fandom. It’s a genuine thrill to chart someone’s fandom and how it’s evolved over time, whether we’re talking with Maia Kobabe on eir favorite K-Pop songs and K-pop fan fiction or chatting with Johnnie Christmas about the catharsis of Mike Flanagan’s Midnight Mass.”
The Superfan Podcast is a production of Superfan Media. Season Two’s episodes have been edited by Bryant Dillon with production help by Fanbase Press, who are title sponsors of Season Two’s episodes. The Superfan Podcast theme song is performed by the band Low in the Shag, featuring Daniel Shulman on bass, Sasha Brustinov on keyboards, Ziv Fisher on drums, Eric Garcia on guitar, Jacob Shulman on saxophone, and Derek Zimmerman on percussion. The song was written by Daniel Shulman, who has played bass for Garbage and is currently performing with The Halloween Jack, alongside Gilby Clarke (Guns N' Roses), Stephen Perkins (Jane’s Addiction), and Eric Dover (Alice Cooper). The Superfan Podcast logo is designed by Criswell Lappin, former Creative Director of the legendary Metropolis Magazine, whose design work can be seen at criswelllappin.com.
For more information, follow the Superfan Podcast on Substack, Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube and visit https://superfanmedia.net. For show notes, behind-the-scenes information, dessert and cocktail recipes, and round table fandom conversations and interviews, follow the Superfan Signal.
About the Superfan Podcast Co-Hosts
Christian Gossett is a writer, artist, and the creator of the hit Image Comics series The Red Star. He is currently at work writing an eagerly anticipated manga for Mad Cave Studios/Nakama Press. At the age of 23, Gossett’s radical concept drawing of a 'double-bladed lightsaber' was personally approved by George Lucas. Seven years later, this design would be made famous as Darth Maul's signature weapon in THE PHANTOM MENACE. He recently provided story art for Netflix’s TWILIGHT OF THE GODS and Marvel's much-anticipated Disney+ original animated series EYES OF WAKANDA.
Gossett has worked on movies for George Lucas, Peter Jackson, and Tim Burton, directed television episodes for the CW network, and, as a video game scribe, wrote dialogue for Bruce Willis and Bruce Campbell for Activision. But his first job in entertainment was at the age of 13, where he was the official announcer and scorekeeper for his Little League. This job taught him how to thrill live audiences (and keep detailed stats). He has worked in storytelling professionally ever since.
Kristen Simon is a comics industry veteran with over 20 years experience in editorial and events. Kris is currently an Executive Editor at Mad Cave Studios, where she oversees their manga imprint, Nakama Press.
Previously, Kris was a Group Editor at IDW Publishing, where she also oversaw their new initiatives. At mobile video game companies Netmarble F&C and Com2uS Corp, she was the Editor in Chief, and Managing Editor, respectively, where she oversaw translating their gaming IP’s, such as Summoners War, into comics, webtoons, motion comics, and webnovels. She also ran her own events company called GeekChic Promotions, where she was in charge of events and panel programming for clients such as Skybound Entertainment, Long Beach Comic Con, Comic Con Revolution, and Los Angeles-local comics industry parties. Concurrently, she was the co-host of a popular YouTube show called “Nerd Rage,” which ran weekly from 2017-2020. Kris’s career in comics began with her getting a book called Small Gods accepted at Image Comics in 2003, which led to becoming the Editor in Chief of Image partner studios Shadowline Comics (Morning Glories) and Silverline Books (Dear Dracula), from 2005-2010. She also had a comic book character created based on her likeness, Editor Girl, who first appeared in the Bomb Queen IV: Suicide Bomber series in 2008.
David Hyde is a publishing and comic book industry veteran, who in his career has promoted one of the legendary independent bookstores in the United States (the Tattered Cover Bookstore in Denver), acclaimed novelists (for Vintage Books, including James Ellroy, Jonathan Lethem, Alexander McCall Smith, Haruki Murakami, and Richard Russo), and some of the world’s greatest superheroes (at DC Comics). In 2013, following nine years running the publicity office of DC Comics, he founded Superfan Promotions.
At Superfan Promotions, David and the Superfan Promotions team have collaborated with superstar creators like Tracey Butler, Gurihiru, Leslie Hung, Shing Yin Khor, Matt Kindt, Bryan Lee O’Malley, Marjorie Liu, Jeff Lemire, Mike Mignola, Jimmy Palmiotti, Paul Pope, Eric Powell, Joe Quesada, Alex Ross, Samuel Sattin, Scott Snyder, Spike Trotman, and Chip Zdarsky, novelists such as Margaret Atwood, Christopher Golden and Chuck Palahniuk, and the painter Aron Weisenfeld. Superfan Promotions has worked with and consulted for international publishers and platforms, including Humanoids, Immortal Studios, Irodori Comics, Kickstarter, and Pixiv, and promoted properties including Cult of the Lamb, Fight Club, Godzilla, Kolchak, Marvel Comics, Peanuts, The Prisoner, Scott Pilgrim, and Star Wars. Superfan Promotions has also publicized and consulted on over 100 successful crowdfunding campaigns, including high-profile campaigns for animation, documentaries, and action figures, and several of the most popular comic campaigns of all time.
Current Superfan Promotions clients include Abrams Comic Arts, AHOY Comics, Amazing Comics, Bit Bot Media, Clover Press, Comixology, Dark Horse Comics, Fantagraphics, the Folio Society, Kodansha, Ink On Paper, Lerner Books, Monstrous Books, Oni Press, and Philippe Labaune Gallery.
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