Writer Kelly Thompson joins the show to talk about her creator-owned work and her overall approach to writing. Thompson discusses the superstar that is Jeff the Landshark, , the power of cute things, the glory of Stefano Caselli and Gurihiru, Jeff’s appeal, the origins of Black Cloak, Meredith McClaren’s gifts, collaboration, Black Cloak’s cover design, world-building, handling mysteries, Substack’s impact, the difficulty of creator-owned, Black Cloak’s shape, narrative escape hatches, The Cull as a mini-series, her project mix, and more.

You can find Thompson on Twitter and Instagram and her work in Black Cloak, Captain Marvel, and the upcoming The Cull at Image Comics.

You can download the episode directly here on Libsyn.

Thanks to Deanna Chapman for stepping in to edit this episode. If it sounds better than usual, it’s because of her.

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Thanks to the sponsor of this week’s podcast: Zoop! May is lining up to be one of the biggest months ever for Zoop! It will feature campaign launches for the Stardust Anthology spearheaded by Van Jensen, Jason Copland’s powerhouse Full Tilt, Shaennon K. Garrity’s Skin Horse, Luciano Vecchio’s Sereno and an art book by the one and only Jorge Molina! Not only that, but you still have time to support Mark Nelson’s Thunder Hunters and rising superstar, Marco Fontanilli! Head to Zoop’s website to support the live campaigns and sign up for launch alerts for what’s next. Also, Zoop is taking submissions! So creators, reach out at hello@wearezoop.com to learn more!

Also, thanks to the other sponsor of this week’s podcast: Bad Idea! Bad Idea’s biggest swing is coming soon in Megalith! Megalith is an epic of unparalleled detail and artistry. The result of a mammoth five year production journey where no expense was spared. A monument such as this demands an equally worthy presentation. We need your help to make that a reality. In 2018, Matt Kindt and Lewis LaRosa set out to create a comic book without the constraints of time and with an unrivaled budget. What resulted is an event comic unlike any before it — the comic book known only by its codename, Megalith. A comic book of such breathtaking beauty that it needs to be seen to be believed. It’s launching soon on Kickstarter, so keep an eye on it or sign up for notifications there!

Also, big thanks to my patrons, including – but not limited to – Cancel Comics, Scott Place, Travis Gibb, Darcy Van Poelgeest, Kevin Bides, Tom Evans, Natalie Mokry, Reid Beaman, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Max Wood, Jeremy Lambert, Brian, Chris Doray, Nir Levie, Dennis Hoffman, Jason Hussa, Kieron Gillen, Jonathan Kent-Uritam, Henry Johnston, Django Bohren, James Tynion IV, Chris Lankford, Jason Wood, Tom Peachey, Ben Damstedt, Ram V, Nick Walker, Patrick Coyle, Isaac Orin, Scott Carpenter, Rentnarb Studios Comics, Capes and Tights Podcast, Klaas Van de Ven, Brian, Submet Industries, Jack Mulqueen, Kyle, Karl Kerschl, Robert Masella, Elsa Charretier, Luc Nakashoji, Dr. Luke, Scott Haselwood, CanadianByProxy, Bradley Roeder, Carl Choi, Brandon De Pillis, Patrick Brower, Declan Shalvey, Dan Gearino, Atom Freeman, Ben Wild, Brian Klein-Q, Nick Bennett, Daniel Whitfield, Susana Polo, Reed Hinckley-Barnes, Mario Tiambeng, Andrew Kurita, Matt Mahoney, Stefan Hull, Phillip Maira, Chris Bachalo, Torunn Grønbekk, FuzBubbles, Christopher Ta, Transmitterdown, Walt’s Comics & Books, Akil Wilson, Alex Dimitropolous, Terry Dodson, Wesley Gift, Shawn Kirkham, Julio Anta, Brett A. Schmidt, Jason Goodmanson, Paul Reinwand, Vita Ayala, Akylle, Phillip Sevy, Al Ewing, Ryan Alcock, David Kelley, Nick Poleto, Matthew Groom, Jason Nassi, Adam Bogert, Matthew Taylor, Nick Pitarra, Jacob Sareli, Ford Gilmore, David Baroldy, Nick Hall, Bjorn Basen, John Hendrick, Steve Anderson, Ian Maxfield, Cliff Chiang, Colin McMahon, Scott McGovern, Nathan Fairbairn, Adam Highfill, Fiona Staples, Mark Abnett, Michael Shirley, Tom Barnett, Jim Demonakos, Norbert, Nick Lowe, James Kaplan, and Mission: Comics and Art in San Francisco. You’re all the best.

Have a question for Off Panel? You can reach David by email or Twitter.

Header photo is from Meredith McClaren’s cover to Black Cloak #5. Off Panel’s opening theme music is Vulfpeck’s “Outro,” used with permission from the band (and thanks for me for them doing so!), with the rest of the music being an original track by custom music agency Upright T-Rex Music, written and performed specifically for the podcast. A huge thanks to Ross and Cody from Upright T-Rex Music for putting the track together!