Off Panel #534: Elysium with Shawn Kirkham
Big Clutch Comics’ Shawn Kirkham joins the show to talk about the collectible side of the comics world. Kirkham discusses his stray cat adventures, Kirkham’s background, what Big Clutch Comics is, how his work at Skybound informed that work, what fuels him, the current secondary market for comics, how it’s different than previous booms, how new readers are playing a part, the secondary market as a guide, comics marketing, the sustainability of blind bags, Ultimate Endgame’s blind bags, how collectibles fit in the comic ecosystem, what creators can do in that space, what has him excited about 2026 in comics, and more.
You can find Kirkham on Instagram and eBay Live.
You can download the episode directly here on Libsyn.
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Thanks to one of the sponsor of this week’s podcast: 2000 AD! The future is calling. 2000 AD is the galaxy’s greatest comic with new issues published every single week. Every 32 page issue of 2000 AD brings you 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 to your mailbox every week and your first issue is free. 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. You cannot beat that deal, so you do not want to miss it. To make sure you get on it, head to 2000 AD dot 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 Redeemer. Are you looking for a galaxy-spanning action adventure story? One that feels like a fusion of Metroid and Firefly? Well, do I have the Kickstarter for you! It’s for Redeemer Part One, the first issue in a two-part series from writer and long-time Off Panel listener, Nick Bennett, and artist and Kubert School grad Mauricio Leyzaola. It follows Ten Tarunn, a freelancer who’s lived job to job on the outskirts of the galaxy since abandoning her adopted home. but when a deadly weapon built by her people falls into the wrong hands, Ten must confront her past to steal it back before time runs out. That sounds pretty amazing, right? The campaign for Redeemer Part One goes live on February 20th, but if you want to make sure you don’t miss out on it or any of its exciting Kickstarter-exclusive rewards, sign up to be notified at launch on its pre-launch page at RedeemerComic.com. This one should be a ton of fun, so don’t miss it.
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Header photo is from Nick Dragotta’s cover to Absolute Batman #15. 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!