Writer Scott Snyder joins the show to talk about Absolute Batman and his past few years at DC and beyond. Snyder discusses his initial uncertainty about Absolute, his journey to Absolute Batman, the power of fear, their approach to making the best story, collaborating with Nick Dragotta, his experimentation phase, the ethos of the book, finding a balance, creating a sense of urgency, the single issue form, the current environment, the Next Level books, his role as a hype man at DC, imposter syndrome, arc titles, what has him excited about 2026 in comics, and more.

You can find Snyder on Bluesky and Instagram, and his work in Absolute Batman and DC K.O.

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! This March, there’s no escaping high school in Dead Teenagers from Oni Press! Since 1997, five friends have been trapped in the ultimate nightmare as a mysterious entity forces them to relive their first prom night over and over again . . . and re-kills them in new and increasingly insane ways each time. They dress up. They party. They make out. And no matter what they try to change, they always die…until now. Something is about to break the cycle that has kept one group of friends locked in a bizarre purgatory beyond all understanding…but what they find on the other side will be the most disturbing revelation of all. Hell is the ’90s in this brash and brutal, genre-distorting ode to the generation that gave us Scream and Buffy the Vampire Slayer as GLAAD Award–nominated writer Jude Ellison S. Doyle and Eisner Award-nominated artist Caitlin Yarsky unleash the year’s most clever and compulsively page-turning horror thriller. Dead Teenagers #1 is in comic shops this March, 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.

Big thanks to all of my existing patrons, including Gavin O., Domi Schell, Robert Negrete, Mr. Spriggs, Robert Pettinato, Tim Leong, Ethan Spanja, Chris Partin, 5Myllyon, Ninja Assassin Love Story Webcomic, Mark Florio, Epic Broccoli, Kevin Bankston, Rick Yancosky, Angelo Macale, Chestin Pullard, Bobby Tomio, RK, Croc_Meow, Eric Palicki, MKFreigeist, Brodie Duncan, Scott Chua, Paul Lai, Gene Queens, Chad Lawrence, James Ferguson, Tiffany Babb, Nerdy Mewzings Podcast, Ian A., Hassan Thalji, Pinoywonder, Toni DeBoer, Nick Friar, James Shields, Michael DiGiovanni, Pete Ficken, Patrick McGlynn, Jose Perez, Ross Binder, Chris Tanforan, Joey Riccio, Ruben Jackson, Alfa, Keith Friedlander, Adriel Moreland, Garrett Lawton, Mike Novello, Jaime Espinoza, Ruben Cantu, Detective 27, JJ Mack, Comic Shop Assistant, Rob Guillory, Justin Pearson, Gianni Palumbo, Oliver Sava, P. Sanger, Wilson Garrett, Ben O’Grady, Mark Tweedale, Ben Allen, Zack Quaintance, Kazu Kibuishi, Claire Scott, Tyler Crook, Patrick Horvath, Louis Krupp, Omega Slice, John Walsh, Brandon Paul, Aaron Bussey, AC, Simon Birch, Austin, Sion, Megan Marsden, T.S. Luther, Comic Book Couples Counseling Podcast, Gus, Saunter, Brian, Chris Robinson, David Byrne, Benjamin Wilkins, Chris Hacker, John NeSmith, Jon Auerbach, Dustin Weaver, Brandon Hayman, Aaden Hamann, Faith Erin Hicks, Ben Wroe, Cameron Brown, Jonathan Breen, Charlie Stickney, Tom Drennen, Jeremy Thomas Burke, Jared Schwab, Scott Dunn, Seth Pomeroy, James McEwan, Andrew Leamon, Christina Merkler, Scott Place, Travis Gibb, Darcy Van Poelgeest, Tom Evans, Reid Beaman, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Max Wood, Jeremy Lambert, Bryan, Nir Levie, Jason Hussa, Kieron Gillen, Jonathan Kent-Uritam, Henry Johnston, Dennis Hoffmann, Django Bohren, James Tynion IV, Chris Lankford, Jason Wood, Tom Peachey, Ben Damstedt, Ram V, Nick Walker, Patrick Coyle, Isaac Orin, Klaas Van de Ven, Submet Industries, Jack Mulqueen, 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, Liana Kangas, Nick Bennett, Susana Polo, Reed Hinckley-Barnes, Mario Tiambeng, Robert Wilson IV, Andrew Kurita, 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, Vita Ayala, Akylle, Phillip Sevy, Al Ewing, David Kelley, Jason Nassi, Adam Bogert, Matthew Taylor, Nick Pitarra, Jacob Sareli, Ford Gilmore, David Baroldy, Nick Hall, Bjorn Basen, John Hendrick, Ian Maxfield, Cliff Chiang, Colin McMahon, 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 guys are all the best.

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

Header photo is from Nick Dragotta’s cover to Absolute Batman #16. 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!