Writer Brian Michael Bendis joins the podcast to talk about his current Dark Horse Comics series Masterpiece and this moment in time for his career. Bendis discusses focusing on his own work, being a night person, collaboration and collaborators, the longevity of his relationships, how Masterpiece came together, going anti-cliche, simplifying the work, building projects for collaborators, his adeptness at writing young characters, getting out of scenes, decompression, the evolution of comics, finding inspiration, rhythmic writing, the evolution of Jinxworld, helping the next generation of creators, the ups and downs of comics, and more.

You can find Bendis on Threads and Instagram, as well as his work in Masterpiece and Phenomena: Matilde’s Quest.

You can download the episode directly here on Libsyn.

Big thanks to Deanna Chapman for stepping in to edit this one. 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! Zoop is the new home for creator-owned crowdfunding. Visit zoop.gg to support campaigns by Harley Quinn’s Chad Hardin, 2000AD’s Jimmy Broxton, comics prodigy Nir Levie, and The Filth’s Chris Weston amongst others live campaigns. There are many more titles coming soon, so visit the site, sign up for alerts, and support these creators putting out amazing books! There are more campaigns coming, so make sure to visit Zoop at its website. Also, Zoop is taking submissions! So creators, reach out at hello@wearezoop.com to learn more!

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Header photo is from Peach Momoko’s cover to Masterpiece #1. Off Panel’s opening theme music is Vulfpeck’s “Outro,” used with permission from the band (and thanks from 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!