With DC's Rebirth underway we welcome Tom King back to talk about his debut run on Batman, and the new heroes he's introduced GOTHAM and GOTHAM GIRL. What do they represent and how will the Dark Knight contend with these new rivals as the city protectors?

Plus we continue to discuss his excellent runs on Vertigo's The Sheriff Of Babylon  and Marvel's Vision

Writer John Ostrander is back, because he and frequent Star Wars collaborator Jan Duursema are in the closing hours of their kickstarter campaign for Hexer Dusk, a new sci-fi epic that starts with a 72 page graphic novel. John gives us the low down on the concept.

We also take a long look at the history of The Suicide Squad John's 1986 creation spinning out of the DC Event LEGENDS. John wrote the event and talks about it's significance as the 1st DC line event a year after Crisis On Infinite Earths. With the film adaptation just 2 months away, John also talks about his new DC Rebirth One Shot also coming in August.

Two great books that deserve your attention are featured in today's Word Balloon Conversations. If you want to buy them consider doing your Amazon Shopping thru the Word Balloon Portal, where I get a few pennies on the dollar of your amazon purchases.

First Up Brad Meltzer is back talking about THE HOUSE OF SECRETS his new thriller co-written with Tod Goldberg is another great action adventure with a new female hero who is trying to uncover the secrets behind history and her own life. Of course we talk to about DC Rebirth, and Brad's TV shows decoded and Lost History. 

The Comic Book Historian Bill Schelly talks about his expanded biography OTTO BINDER THE LIFE AND WORK OF A COMIC BOOK AND SCIENCE FICTION VISIONARY . Binder wrote many Shazam Captain Marvel  stories in the 40's for Fawcett including the creation of Mary Marvel and the Marvel family. He also wrote the epic Monster Society Of Evil story and created Mr Tawny the Talking Tiger, Mister Mind and many other classic Marvel stories. Then Otto went to work for DC in the 50's creating Supergirl, The Bottled City Of Kandor, The Legion Of Super Heroes and many other significant parts of the Superman Mythos. 

The past informs the present. Today's episode features clips from past interviews that inadvertently provide insight on some recent events.

The past informs the present. Today's episode features clips from past interviews that inadvertently provide insight on some recent events.

The Death Of Sports Icon Muhammad Ali  hits me personally. As a sports reporter I covered Boxing for 16 years in print and radio, and had the opportunity to meet and interview Ali in 1991. I tell the story of our encounter that was full of the Ali magic and charm, even as his Parkinson Syndrome was slowly robbing him of the ability to speak. His ailment did NOT keep him from thinking and he proved that to me directly with his thoughts on previewing The Evander Holyfield George Foreman Championship fight.

Of Course comic fans all know a bit about the DC comics Superman Vs Muhammad Ali, which was an event unto itself. In 2005 Co-plotter and artist Neal Adams talked about his experience on the project and lots of thoughts on the man and his legacy. 

Then a look at The conclusion of DC Rebirth featuring the invasion of the Watchmen story and characters in the current DC universe . Was does it mean? Should it happen, given the creators Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons have no involvement and in Moore case objects to every continuation of the original story.

These same issue came up in 2012 when DC launched Before Watchmen, featuring prequel stories of the heroes and villains drawn and written by different creators. To illustrate the debate we look back at 2012 comments from Dave Gibbons, Ed Brubaker and Brain Azzarello,

Wow! In one issue, Writer Nick Spencer has changed the status quo of Steve Rogers in a new exciting way that has polarized the comic book readership. Captain America is evil, and all of a sudden the Most Trusted Man In the Marvel Universe is now its most dangerous enemy.

Nick joins us to explain the new direction for Caop, and what it means for Civil War 2 and all the relationships in the Marvel Universe. 

We also talk about the crazy backlash from fans and media that the story received, including blowing the DC Universe Rebirth coverage off the front pages. 

Wrapping up our look back at the 20 year old classic, we speak to the guy who had the idea first Alex Ross. he tells us about the influence of Alan Moore on this story, how he came to be paired with Mark Waid, and the debates of their ideas on how to present the story, and what it means to be a hero. 

We also talk about current and future projects with Alice, including some incredible lithographs of The Beatles, and The beginnings of work with Universal on the classic Hollywood depictions of their monsters. Not a Robert De Niro Frankenstien or  Gary Oldman Dracula in the bunch. 

To commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the acclaimed DC Elseworld story, Word Balloon presents 2 conversations with the creators themselves.

First up writer Mark Waid, who looks back on how he was chosen to join Alex Ross and flesh out the initial ideas. 

We also pay tribute to the passing of Darwyn Cooke and I review Captain America Civil War 

First up Documentarian Maria Paz Cabardo talks about her seminal documentary BETTER THINGS THE LIFE AND CHOICES OF JEFFERY CATHERINE JONES.  The film is available on DVD and streaming 

Jeff Jones was one of the founding members of THE STUDIO, an influential 1970's art studio collective featuring Jones, Michael Kaluta Bernie Wrightson and Barry Windsor Smith. Jones's fantasy art was featured in DC Warren National Lampoon and countless fantasy publishers. Late in life Jones decided to transgender and became Jeffery Catherine and candidly spoke about this life change , and the decades of dealing with this difficult personal journey while creating groundbreaking art. 

We talk about Jones personal relationships from his marriage to Louise Simonson, his relationship with Vaughn Bode, friendships with his studio mates, and influences on artists like Bill Sienkiewicz, Jean (Moebius) Giraud, Jon Muth, Kent Williams, Paul Pope and others.

Then Greg Pak is back with an audio excerpt of his new e-book Kickstarter Secrets . These are useful hacks on what you need to know if you're thinking about doing a kickstarter campaign. This audio itself gives great tips, and gives you an idea of the additional useful information that will be in the e-book. 

Celebrating Word Balloon's 11th and The Amazon's 75th anniversaries it's a pleasure to welcome the incredible Susan Eisenberg, who's portrayed Wonder Woman since the 2001 debut of cartoon networks Justice League. She's since played Diana in the follow-up Justice League Unlimited series, animated films like Superman-Batman Apocalypse , Justice League doom, and video games like Injustice .

We talk about her beginnings  in acting and voice work, her getting the WW role and the experiences of working with the Warner Animation cast and crews. 

Check out Susan's website to see a table reading of the original Justice League cast, including WW-Batman moments from the fan favorite episode This Little Piggy 

Really enjoyed this talk with Ted Adams. It's IDW's 17th anniversary this year, and we look back at the company's beginnings it's present and future.

We talk about their approach to licensed comics from CSI to current successes like Star Trek GI JOE Transformers My Little Pony and more.

We talk about Wynonna Earp eau Smith's creation currently a SyFy Network TV series and IDWs first foray into television.

You'll hear about IDW's experimentation with comic formats, from their mini comics to the oversized Artist Editions and the  equally historic Library Of American Comics volumes.

Coming off my last episode, this is another must listen conversation.

Great Conversation with Kaare , who's Renato Jones The 1% debutsthis Wednesday from Image. This is Andrew's 1st creator ownedcomic, and he talks about the experiences and inspirations that ledhim to this project.

We also look back at Kaare's recent run on Iron Fist and thecurrent nerd debate about the white-washing of comic bookcharacters. 

Kaare also offer great insight of how the current comic marketseems to be unfolding, and a great perspective on how to handle itwhen creativity and the obstacles of life collide. 

Plus after years making movies, Kaare is stepping into the worldof directing television. He talks about these newexperiences. 

Today Marvel addressed the comic book press to discuss the wrap up of the Avengers Standoff event, and the rejuvenated Captain America. Writer Nick Spencer and Editor Tom Brevoort fielded questions about the comic book future of Steve Rogers 

From Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast ,we welcome co-host Frank Santopadre to talk about their fantastic interviews with many show biz greats. Frank is also a comic book vet in his own right, working at Topps writing jokes for Bazooka Joe , Wacky Packages and Garbage Pail Kids cards. Frank's "day job" is as a writer on ABC's The View . Tons of great stories packed in this interview from attending the last of the 3 Stooges  Curly Joe De Rita's funeral, to writing jokes for Dr Ben Carson Miss Piggy and Christopher Walken.

Then we welcome back writer and musician Jesse Blaze Snider who has combines his talents on his latest project Black Light District . Six issues and songs combine for what I've been calling Comic Sonnets ( though poets may disagree with my use of the term.

Matt Kindt is back to talk about his new underwater "locked room murder mystery DEPT H .We also talk about his many projects at Valiant like Ninjak Rai, and including the upcoming summer event 4001 AD.

Plus NHL All Time Great and NBC Sportscaster Jeremy Roenick drops by for a break from the NHL playoff coverage to talk about his new podcast, and his favorite Sci-Fi passions 

A great conversation with the longtime Vertigo editor. We talk about his 16 years with the company working with many of the imprint's top creators. Will gives us his point of view of what made Vertigo unique. Has the imprint place in today's comic market changed? 

We also talk about what he's currently doing inlcuding teaching and editing new projects like the recently announced Image Title Moonshiners featuring his old 100 Bullets pals Brian Azzarello & Edwardo Risso.

Very excited to welcome Adrian Paul, Highlander's Duncan Macloud . Of course we talk about the series and new film projects he's working on, but Paul is also conducting amazing seminars in a program called The Sword Experience. It gives participants the chance to learn sword fighting techniques from Adrian himself. A great opportunity for actors, historic reenactors, LARP players and more. 

They're happening in great cities and exotic locales all over the world beginning this weekend in California, and next month in Chicago. Paul describes the activities and techniques learned at the day long experiences, which include photo and video opps, luxurious meals and more. We also talk about his own podcast Peace Radio, his charity work and  get his action hero view on today's exploding interest in genre fiction. 

Then author and NPR correspondent Glen Weldon talks about his latest book The Caped Crusade Batman And The Rise Of Nerd Culture, from Simon and Schuster . A great chance to discuss Batman thru the decades and his impact on the fans sometimes changing the interpretation of the character. We look at some of the decades, and of course talk about the polarizing reactions to Batman V Superman. 

The title says it all. In his first interview after DC Comics broke the news in their Re-Birth presentation Greg Rucka joins us to talk about the decision to return to DC to write Wonder Woman with alternating artists Liam Sharp and Nicola Scott. The first arc is called Lies and will alternate with a Year One WW story featuring Nicola's art. 

It's been 7 years since Rucka abruptly left DC after just getting started co-creating the new Batwoman with artist JH Williams. Why comeback now, and how does it effect his current output oif craetor owned books and webcomics, like Lazarus, Stumptown Lady Sabre and mosty directly Black Magick which features the co-creator Nicola Scott who's joins Greg on this Wonder Woman Project. 

Greg give us all the answers in this exclusive conversation. 

John K Snyder III joins us to discuss his kickstarter campaign to collect his excellent 80's Eclipse series Fashion In action featuring a team of futuristic super spy girls in slick neo- noir action.

We also talk about hist contributions to the Suicide Squad, Grendel and the co-creation of Dr Mid-Nite Pieter Cross 

Everytime there's been a DC Rebirth Project, Artist Ethan Van Sciver has been given the art chores. He is among the 4 artists chosen for the DC Rebirth 80 page giant coming in late May. He joins us to give his perspective what has the "rebirth" label meant when rebooting an established DC hero? 

Then Internet great Mr Skin jins me to talk about the recently held Anatomy Awards and his 17 years as a pop culture content creator. From the parody of his company in the Judd Apatow classic Knocked Up, to the breat nude scenes of geek culture icons both women and men. 

Don't be scared by the show title. Nick IS writing "controversial" books like Sam Wilson, Captain America, and Avengers stand off, but that gives the chance to discuss the whole CA cast of characters and how the Cap mantle is perceived when Sam wears it. 

The Marvel event Avengers Standoff has it's own political undertones as the agents of SHIELD take a radical approach to keeping prisoners.

Plus we check in on Morning Glories and preview Nick's new creator owned series with his Superior Foes Of Spider-man Steve Lieber another heist comedy THE FIX from Image Comics.

We also look at Batman V Superman and DC's REBIRTH 

Keith joins us to discuss his and Tom Nyguen's kickstarter campaign for The Switch a 64 page graphic novel. For a supervillain, growing apart from your friends can be murder.

We also discuss his colaborations with other artists like Doug Mahnke and Don Kramer. We also talk about his part on the epic run of JSA for DC. 

Ollie Masters talks about Vertigo's The Kitchen and BOOM! Studios Snow Blind

Aubrey Sitterson talks about GI JOE Vs Street Fighter from IDW and his podcasts Straight Shoot and Skald 

Jody Houser Talks Faith , the blockbuster hit from Valiant Comics and Orphan Black from IDW 

Ed Catto talks about Captain Action's 50th Anniversary 

Sanford Greene & David Walker are killing it on Marvel's new Power Man & Iron Fist comic. Greene joins us to talk about the excitement and responsibility they feel to make this a memorable run. They want it to feel fresh,but also hit the right notes of the past great runs featuring the Heroes For Hire. Sanford answers many questions about the series. The book debuts this Wednesday the 17th. 

Then Phil Hester and Brent Peeples join us to talk about THEIR reboot of popular characters, The Gold Key Alliance coming in April from Dynamite, Magnus Robot Fighter Dr Solar, Mighty Sampson and Turok join forces in a modern "real world" story. Hester also has a new Image book Mythic with John McCrea. 

Tom King talks about his books, but also wanted a loose talk about comics, movies and everything. We obliged. 

Kwanza Osajyefo tells us about the successful Kickstarter campaign for BLACK, his new OGN with Jamal Igle Tim Smith and Khari Randolph. Kwanza was also involved in early digital comics initiatives at Marvel and DC's Zuda Comics and we discuss his experiences in those arenas.

A great conversation from the legendary writer of Kraven's Last Hunt The Bwa-Ha-Ha Justice League International, Moonshadow, and Batman: Going Sane . Marc (JM) wrote the screenplay to the new DC Animated feature Batman Bad Blood, featuring the animated debuts of Batwoman & Batwing. not to mention wrapping up the trilogy of Son Of batman.

He discuss the team oriented writing process for these DC animated films and talks about comic writing in general. We also look at his and Keith Giffen's current run on Justice League 3001, which suffered some controvesy last year as some Transgendered readers took offense at their portrayal of Green Lantern Guy Gardener. 

Canadian Comic Historian Hope Nicholson is back to talk about her latest book of essays by comic creators and fans who write about the relationships they found and lost in the Geek world. It's a great insight into their minds and feelings, no matter your age, gender, or orientation might be. I think it makes us all feel like we're not as crazy or strange as we seem to ourselves. 

We also can't help but discuss the gender issues in comics and fandom, but we can debate gently and still respect the other's point of view.

Hope also tells of a lousy convention guest experience, and how she turned that into a positive when a very recent Atlanta show cancelled their con without informing a guest like Hope, who had paid for a table and was making the city part of an extended city travel schedule. Airfare Hotel and travel incidentals that cons wouldn't refund. So what do you do when the show gets cancelled before you can cancel travel plans? 

Executive Producer Writer Joe Henderson joins us to preview the latest comic book adaptation from DC Comics LUCIFER. The show debuts Monday The 25th at 9 eastern/8 central on FOX following the new X-Files mini series.

Joe discusses the adaptation of Neil Gaiman's Sandman character, who later starred in Mike Carey's incredible Vertigo series. We talk about the cast the over arcing plot, and the religious controversy the show has already faced. 

Plus Joe, who's credits have included running USA hits like White Collar & Graceland gives us his point of view on competing in today's crowded good tv market. 

Greg answers listener questions about his comics Lazarus, Stumptown, Black Magick and more. We also talk about his Star Wars work on the new Force Awakens characters in his new young adult books 

Dan Slott ushers in the new year teasing us with his plans for Spider-Man & The Silver Surfer