Negative Space Comics

Negative Space Comics Podcast — Season 3, Episode 1
Guest: Omar Morales (@omorales81)

We’re kicking off Season 3 with comic book writer Omar Morales, the creator behind the sci-fi graphic novel Major Thomás, published through Comixology Originals. Omar joins us to share his publishing journey, his convention-tested advice, and how he built a portfolio that opened doors.

In this episode, we cover:

• The inspiration and process beh...

Laura Gao and Tiffany Yap in conversation with host Josh Sippie about the challenges of writing towards specific real world subject matter, whether in fiction or nonfiction.Laura Gao (she/they) is a queer artist, author, bread lover, and everything in between. Originally from Wuhan, China, Gao immigrated to Texas where their art career began by doodling on Pokémon cards and has since blossomed to be featured on NPR, the Museum of C...

Deb JJ Lee in conversation with host Josh Sippie about the challenges of writing graphic memoirs, telling stories that really happened, and all the obstacles nonfiction presents. 
Deb JJ Lee is a Korean American artist currently living in Brooklyn, NY. They have appeared in the New Yorker, Washington Post, NPR, Google, Radiolab, PBS, and more. Books they have illustrated include The Invisible Boy by Alyssa Hollingsworth (Roaring Bro...

Jeremy Holt and Ayize Jama-Everett in conversation with Josh Sippie about the challenges, both creative and otherwise, of reinventing classic stories for modern audiences.

Jeremy Holt is a non-binary author whose works include Gatsby, Made in Korea, Virtually Yours, Before Houdini, After Houdini, and Skip to the End.

Ayize Jama-Everett is a writer of speculative fiction, as well as the graphic novels Box of Bones and The Last Count o...

Deena Mohamed in conversation with host Josh Sippie about the path into traditional publishing, breaking in with a full-length graphic novel, and more. 

Deena Mohamed is an Egyptian comics artist, writer and designer. Her debut full-length, bilingual graphic novel trilogy Shubeik Lubeik is available now from Pantheon. When not working on comics, she does freelance illustrations for local and international clients such as Insider, Vi...

Scott Chantler in conversation with Josh Sippie about writing comics and cartoons in historical settings, adapting those stories for various audiences, and the creative process.

Scott Chantler is the cartoonist of the critically-acclaimed graphic novels Squire & Knight, Bix, and Two Generals, which was nominated for two Eisner Awards, selected for Best American Comics 2012, and voted by CBC's Canada Reads as one of the 40 best C...

Matt Emmons in conversation with Josh Sippie about creating your own opportunities, crowdfunding, and turning your creativity into a business.

Matt Emmons is a comics artist and illustrator living in Philadelphia. Born in the Greater Boston Area and raised on a healthy diet of 80’s monster movies and fantasy novels, he now spends his time drawing monsters and robots for his own books.

Important links!

• Matt's website: ⁠https://www...

Kiara Valdez in conversation with Josh Sippie about what an editor at a traditional publishing house does, how to break in that route as a creator, the traditional publishing scene, and more. 

Kiara Valdez is an Afro-Dominican writer and graphic novel editor from New York City (shout out to Washington Heights). She graduated from Williams College with a double major in English Literature and Japanese, and spends her free time readin...

Ryan Inzana in conversation with Josh Sippie about creating the Eisner-nominated Ichiro, as well as placing short comics, developing an artistic style, and more. 

Ryan is an illustrator/concept designer/animator whose work has appeared in various media all over the world. Ryan's comics have been inducted into the Library of Congress's permanent collection of art and have earned an Eisner nomination as well as an Asian American/Pacif...

Jamar Nicholas and John Gallagher in conversation with Josh Sippie about going the traditional publishing route, getting an agent, and more. 

Jamar Nicholas is an award-winning, Philadelphia-based artist and educator, dedicating his career to helping young people realize the power of visual narrative. Jamar aims to promote anti-bullying, healing, and kindness in his work. Jamar's graphic novel “Leon the Magnificent” was published wi...

Brent Fisher and CJ Hudson in conversation with Josh Sippie about managing a massive anthology crowdfunding campaign with Band of Bards, choosing a crowdfunding platform, and more.

Brent Fisher is a published comic writer and editor. Their passion lies in using storytelling as a vehicle of empathy to bring disparate groups closer together.Their writing can be found in many comic anthologies including Project Big Hype, Femme Fatale, ...

• Support the Everyday Magus Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/opi/everyday-magus-comic-issue-number-1

Sean Murphy and Kelly La Croix in conversation with Nahuel Fanjul-Agruijo about launching their first Kickstarter, and all the thrills and spills that come with it.

Sean was born in Billings Montana, he has worked as an Editor for TV and Film since the early 2000’s. S.M was fortunate to begin reading comics i...

Melissa Flores in conversation with Josh Sippie about the power of personal branding, everything Power Rangers, finding opportunity, and more.

Melissa Flores has developed and produced diverse and inclusive entertainment in all genres, including television, feature films, narrative podcasts, digital films, publishing, live events, and gaming. She wrote and co-created the Twitch digital hybrid series The Unleashed, which was also fea...

Brendan Deneen in conversation with Josh Sippie about being a writer and editor, writing across ages and mediums, the creative process, and more.

Brendan Deneen is the author of the award-winning dark coming-of-age novel THE NINTH CIRCLE as well as THE CHRYSALIS,  a 2018 horror novel.  He's also the author of the four volume NIGHT NIGHT GROOT picture book series for Marvel; the original middle grade graphic novel GREEN ARROW: STRAND...

Stephen McCranie in conversation with Josh Sippie about engineering a career in comics, the creation process behind Space Boy, and what life is like working full-time with WebToons.

Stephen McCranie is the author and illustrator for MAL AND CHAD, an all-ages graphic novel series. He is currently working on SPACE BOY, a sci-fi comic about a love that crosses light-years. His stated goal as an artist is to make “Comics that Nourish.” ...

Sara Alfageeh and Nadia Shammas in conversation with Josh Sippie about creating the graphic novel Squire, going the traditional publishing route, and teamwork in the creation space.

Sara Alfageeh is a Jordanian-American illustrator and creative director in San Francisco. She is passionate about history, teaching, girls with swords, and the spaces where art and identity intersect. Her award-winning debut graphic novel SQUIRE is on sh...

Stephanie Phillips joins host Josh Sippie to discuss the journey to becoming a comic book writer, the creation process, and finding regular work in comics.

Stephanie Phillips is an American writer known for comics and graphic novels such as HARLEY QUINN, WONDER WOMAN: EVOLUTION, BATMAN: LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT, SENSATIONAL WONDER WOMAN, WE ONLY KILL EACH OTHER, and THE BUTCHER OF PARIS. Her stories and comics have appeared with ...

Kyle Starks joins host Josh Sippie to discuss the journey to becoming a comic book writer, creating stories you love, and how to find your unique voice as a creative.

Kyle Starks is a two-time Eisner nominated comic creator from Southern Indiana. He is likely best known as the longest tenured writer and occasional artist for Oni Press RICK AND MORTY comic. He was nominated for Eisners for Sexcastle and Rock Candy Mountain for best ...

Juni Ba joins host Josh Sippie to discuss the journey to becoming a comic book writer, the creation process, and how to create uniqye and complex characters that grow throughout the story.

Juni Ba is the award-winning cartoonist of DJELIYA at TKO Studios and MONKEY MEAT at Image Comics. He was born in Senegal, and after years of living between different cultures, he decided to channel his influences through his passion for illustra...