Let’s Do It Big: I’m Now Taking Questions for an Anniversary Edition of my Mailbag Q&A!

By David Harper

April 30, 2025

I know I’ve mentioned this a time or two already, but it’s a big two month stretch for SKTCHD and Off Panel. What’s happening? The big events are:

Off Panel’s 500th episode hits on May 19th
SKTCHD’s 10th anniversary is June 16th
Off Panel’s 10th anniversary is June 17th

That’s a lot of big deal events happening in rapid succession! And because of those happening, and because I’m going to be really busy mailing SKTCHD BOOK 2024 and putting together some anniversary treats, we’re going to do a Mailbag Q&A that encompasses all these anniversaries. That’s right: It’s time for an anniversary Mailbag Q&A, one that encompasses May and June!

For those that are new here — and there are a whole lot of you — these Mailbags are things I do every month or two where you, the subscribers of SKTCHD and patrons of Off Panel, get the chance to ask me any questions you might have for the purposes of answering in what’s typically a giant-sized column. I’m hoping to make this an extra special one, for obvious, anniversary reasons.

So, what questions could you possibly ask? Anything is on the table, really. They typically orient around comics and the industry (and with so little going on in the comics industry, I’m sure you have nothing to ask me), but what I do on the podcast and site are obviously fair territory as well. With this being an anniversary edition, I expect there will be questions related to that, but TBD. But again, anything’s open, so if you want to ask me for my hottest takes on music, movies, TV shows, the NBA season, the Indiana Pacers, how well I’d do if I worked in an emergency room like in The Pitt, where Andor fits in my personal Star Wars power rankings, my favorite meals I’ve had at a comic convention, or whatever, I’m down with it. Whether it’s real or hypothetical, I’m open to your questions.

The only restriction is if your question is too big, it may graduate to its own column, simply because it’s too much to cover in a regular sized Mailbag. But that’s only happened once. Do not consider that a challenge!

If you have a question or questions, submitting is easy. Just hit me up in the comments of this post, email me at david@SKTCHD.com, or reach out on BlueSky or Instagram. I’ll accept the question in any of those ways, as long as they’re to me by May 18th. I hope to make this a big one, so reach out whenever and I’ll put the Mailbag together in the week or two after that date. Let’s have some fun, folks!

Notable Replies

zachary says:

April 30, 2025

As a marketing professional, do you think comics in general are appropriately managing the 4 Ps of marketing (Product, Price, Place, and Promotion)?
IsaacKelley says:

April 30, 2025

You have repeatedly written about the importance of big two superhero comics being stories that “matter”. Since the New 52 I have not felt like like a single DC comic book has “mattered”. For years every single DC story that had previously “mattered” had been undone and now, as of Infinite Frontier every story is canon and I don’t understand what that means at all, since a lot of stories directly contradict each other. Frankly, at this point any reference to old stories just irritates me because I have to spend time thinking about how the story as originally published connects to all the other stories. Connection to older stories used to be a major part of the appeal. There are plenty of good DC books out there but the illusion that they are all part of a singular sprawling ongoing narrative has been shattered for me.

Am I alone in feeling this disconnect? Do you feel that way? Have you talked to others who do? If this is a real, commonly shared issue, do you see a solution?
william6 says:

May 2, 2025

A massive congratulations on 500 episodes!!! Do you have any fun, chaotic behind the scenes stories? Like a session where something got completely derailed or a bat flew into your office and pooped on your Batman tpbs?
mark1 says:

May 2, 2025

This question probably isn’t suitable for the Mailbag, but I’m curious about how DSTLRY’s books are selling in France by Delcourt, especially since the books are drawn for the standard European page format not the standard American format, and you’ve mentioned before how the perception of a book being American is often a negative in the French market. (Somna, Spectregraph, and Gone are all out now, as is Blasfamous from Glénat.)
Ian_A says:

May 3, 2025

Congrats, man!

As an avowed fan of Marvel’s Annihilation, what hopes/fears/expectations do you have for Imperial and the cosmic micro-line to come? Any dream teams or titles you want to see? Any you don’t?