Off Panel #524: Some Quick Math with Erica Henderson
Cartoonist Erica Henderson joins the podcast to talk about her past few years and her work on Harley and Ivy: Life and Crimes at DC. Henderson discusses her whim based processes, writing Erica vs. drawing Erica, what she can do while working, recent learnings, the way she thinks of pages, things she needed to do in Harley and Ivy, how she approaches projects, single issues vs. graphic novels, bringing Harley and Ivy to life, their fit together, her background with them, the looks of these characters, research, building around moments, the project’s origins, preferred genres, fighting boredom, how variants work, and more.
You can find Henderson on Bluesky and Instagram, and her work in Harley and Ivy: Life and Crimes, which debuts this week in comic shops everywhere.
You can download the episode directly here on Libsyn.
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Want to watch a video version of this interview, albeit mostly unedited? This chat with Erica Henderson is available on the SKTCHD/Off Panel YouTube, but there’s no video element to it! Just a still image of us chatting. Thus, the nature of NYCC!
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Thanks to one of the sponsor of this week’s podcast: 2000 AD! Are you ready to face the future? Look no further than 2000 AD – it’s the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic! Every week 2000 AD brings the best in sci-fi and horror, featuring characters like Judge Dredd, Rogue Trooper and more! Get a print subscription to 2000 AD and it’ll arrive through your mailbox every week, and your first issue is free. You’ll also receive the HUNDRED PAGE 2000 AD Christmas Special this December at no extra cost! Or, subscribe digitally and you can download DRM-free copies of each issue for only $9 a month. That’s 128 pages of incredible comics every month for less than $10! Head to 2000AD.com and click on ‘subscribe’ now – or download the 2000 AD app and start reading today!
Thanks to another of the show’s sponsors, Oni Press! Embrace your fear…the Spirit of the Shadows draws near! This January, Oni Press proudly presents SPIRIT OF THE SHADOWS #1 – the most visually dazzling and hauntingly heartfelt superhero-horror hit of 2026. A stunning new five-part series drawn from the darkest recesses of the imagination of co-writers Nick Cagnetti and Daniel Ziegler and featuring the first full-length artwork by Nick Cagnetti since his electrifying debut with 2022’s PINK LEMONADE. Once, Erik Leroux was a mortal musician… until his sudden death plunged his soul into the carnival-like torments of the Spirit World beyond our own. Now, reborn as a phantom, Erik will claw his way back from the infernal planes . . and avenge the dark sins that transformed him into the SPIRIT OF THE SHADOWS! In the tradition of Jack Kirby’s THE DEMON, Mike Allred’s MADMAN, and Todd McFarlane’s SPAWN, SPIRIT OF THE SHADOWS is an eye-popping new addition to the canon of creator-owned superheroes – find it comic shops everywhere this January, only from Oni Press!
Lastly, thanks to the show’s final sponsor in IDW Publishing. IDW is absolutely cooking in November, as they’re bringing readers exciting comics everywhere, including on three of its most biggest lines. Want spooky tales in award-winning titles like Patrick Horvath’s Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees or continuations of horror classics like Event Horizon or Twilight Zone? IDW Dark is for you. Want to see those Heroes in the Half Shell and their friends doing their thing? The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line has four big releases this month, including a crossover with an even bigger green guy in Godzilla. Speaking of Godzilla, want to see the wildest take on that character and his world yet? The Kai-Say Era is for you then, as Godzilla, Godzilla: Escape the Deadzone, and Starship Godzilla are bringing the heat. Most importantly, if you’re looking for great comics, IDW has you covered. So, stop on by your local comic shop and pick up their next big comics.
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Have a question for Off Panel? You can reach David by email or Bluesky.
Header photo is from Henderson’s work in Harley and Ivy: Life and Crimes #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!