The Short Box: A Comic Book Talk Show

Al Letson — award-winning journalist, Godzilla: Monarch writer, and Emmy winning host of Reveal — joins the show to talk about his upcoming DC Comics debut: Mr. Terrific: Year One. We dive into the emotional inspiration behind the series, the differences between writing for TV and comics, and how Al is redefining Michael Holt’s origin story—just in time for the character’s live-action debut in Superman this summer. 

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The Short Box is the best way to get your weekly dose of comic shop vibes without ever leaving the house! Join your host, Badr Milligan, every Wednesday, for news, reviews, and interviews about comic books and comic culture, and hear exclusive conversations with the top comic creators in the world. 

Join the Short Box Nation on Patreon.com/theshortbox to listen to bonus episodes and get other exclusive perks!

We read Fan Ma...

Battle Quest Comics Publisher, and writer, Andrew Kafoury stops by the show to talk about navigating Diamond Comics Distribution and the direct market as an indie publisher, creating fantasy/ sci-fi stories for all ages, and teaching morality through comics. He also gives an in-depth look into the Battle Quest line of comics. Check out the titles we talk about, here: https://battlequestcomics.com/comics/ 

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This episode was originally released last month for our Patrons: Drew and I talked about a new shop in town (Black Cat Comics), buying wall comics, the upcoming Marvel & DC crossover, and we also reviewed the first two episodes of Daredevil: Born Again (SPOILERS!)

Listen to our latest bonus episode, talking about the first issue of Hush 2: HERE, 

Become a Patron of the show and get all the bonus episodes as soon as they drop! Try...

Writer-slash-artist, Tim Seeley, is on the show this week to talk about his new comic projects, including:  Red Sonja vs Army of Darkness crossover (in shops April 9th) and Peacemaker Presents: The Vigilante / Eagly Double Feature, and his experience teaching art at Columbia College, tips for collecting original comic art (check out Panel Punk Comics Originals), the upcoming Revival television show, finding inspiration from 90s Ima...

David Harper (Off Panel, SKTCHD) is back on the show this week to talk all things manga! We discuss how we both got into manga, the manga we're reading, what we've learned about the art form, and explore some key differences and similarities between Manga and Western comics.

Artwork by Salva Makoto

Read David's articles about manga: Here and here

LINKS: 

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Longtime comic writer, and animation scribe, Joe Casey (Superman, X-Men, Avengers, Wildcats) joins the show this week to talk about his upcoming Space Ghost & Jonny Quest crossover comic: Space Quest (issue one available 4/23!). Joe also recounts how he broke into the comic industry, and talks about the influence of Hanna-Barbera cartoons, the genius of Alex Toth and Dan Wildey. He pays respect to George Lowe (Space Ghost Coast...

This episode was originally recorded and released in November 2018.

The SBX Crew put Frank Miller and David Mazzuchelli's Marvel classic: Daredevil: Born Again, under the microscope in front of a live audience at Coliseum of Comics! Join Badr, Cesar, Ashley, and Ed as they talk about how the comic came to be, Miller & Mazzuchelli's partnership, and explore the story's religious themes and ever lasting relevance. T...

This is the one you all have been waiting for — the return of Ashley, Cesar, and Ed! The band's back together this week, to celebrate the show's milestone 450th episode. Ashley and Cesar reveal what they've been up to since becoming parents (check out Cesar's band: Peyote Coyote), Ed shares his favorite comics from last year (Final Cut & Dynamite Diva), and we also talk about downsizing and tips for selling ...

Here's a preview of last month's Patreon bonus episode: Badr & Drew answer some questions submitted by listeners about the new Bad Bunny album, Daredevil: Born Again, and politic's place in comics…before going off into some interesting tangents about the ideal comic shop experience, playing Marvel Rivals for the first time, and the ultimate mashup that is Bartkira! 

Check out the full episode, for FREE: Here. And ...

Is Captain America: Brave New World worth seeing in the theater, or should you wait to watch it on streaming? Chris Hacker (The Oblivion Bar) and Blythe Milligan (Everything is Logistics) join me this week to talk about the good, the bad, and ugly. (SPOILER WARNING!) We also discuss the movie's pre- & post-production drama and reshoots, Harrison Ford as The Red Hulk, standout scenes and moments, the comics to read after th...

Joining the show this week, is the return of Chris Hacker (The Oblivion Bar), and Edmund Dansart! We discuss a trifecta of recent comic news and headlines, including: accusations against Marvel for using AI art in Fantastic Four promo, Massive Publishing's new indie label, the ongoing Diamond Comics DIstribution shakeup, and how potential tariffs could drive up the price of comics and what that means for the industry and our p...

Jeff Parker, writer of comics such as Agents of Atlas, X-Men First Class, Batman '66, Aquaman, Future Quest, Thunderbolts and Hulk, is on the podcast this week to talk about his extensive career. We get into his time working in animation, drawing storyboards for Big Guy and Rusty The Boy Robot (and Nelly music videos?!), the Portland comic scene, his favorite artists he's ever worked with, and talks about being a part of ...

BJ Kicks, host of Comics Are Dope, joins me this week for an honest conversation about being a comic podcaster, our comic collecting habits, budgeting for comics, representation, and finding community at comic shops, and Ben from Gotham City Limit calls in with his Top 3 Comic Picks for February (Pop Kill, Through Red Windows, and Doctor Strange of Asgard) 

Watch the uncut video version of this podcast on YouTube!

Want to h...

Ed Brisson (Iron Fist, Batman, Comeback) is on the show to talk about his new SilverHawks comic series from Dynamite Entertainment. Issue one comes out January 29th, and it's the first SilverHawks anything in nearly 40 yrs! Ed also breaks down his career working as a comic book writer, growing up in Canada, writing for video games, and talks about the potential for a Thundercats and SilverHawks crossover!

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This episode was originally released in January 2023 as Ep. 379.

Dust off your favorite Calvin and Hobbes book, and join us for the latest installment of our artist spotlight series! Today, we're analyzing the life and career of one of comic's most private and beloved creators: Bill Watterson. Hear us talk about our first exposure to Calvin & Hobbes, the best strips to read as a new fan, and the origin of Wa...

Christopher Carter is the CEO & Founder of GlobalComix, a new digital comic platform and comic reader app that's quickly growing in popularity among comic fans and comic creators around the world. Chris joins me to talk about the future of digital comics, old-school manga fan forums, hot spots around the globe for indie comics, and how GlobalComix is helping creators around the world get paid.

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This week's episode was originally recorded for Patreon, but it's the holidays, so we're sharing it with everyone! Drew and I celebrated another Friday bonus pod by answering fan mail questions and talking about some recent comic news (Invincible S3 trailer, new Battle Beast series, & Godzilla vs Marvel ). We also get into some random tangents about our favorite gangster movies, One Piece character designs, and c...

I'm back at Gotham City Limit for Ep. 443, chatting with everyone's favorite comic shop owner, Ben Kingsbury, about what it was like to run a comic shop in 2024. We talked about what's new at the shop, industry trends we want to see stay/ leave in 2025, and got an early head start on awarding the best-selling books, most pulled titles, and best sleeper comics of the year, stand-out creative teams and publishers. We a...