The Short Box Podcast: A Comic Book Talk Show

Erica Schultz has worn a lot of different hats throughout her 25+ yr career in the comic industry (including writer, letterer, colorist, teacher, editor), and she's not shy about sharing the ups & downs of that journey. In this interview, the award winning writer talks about what it takes to succeed in comics, lessons she learned from Neal Adams, working on early Marvel Motion Comics, craft and career tips for aspiring writers,...

Kasra Ghanbari might just be the most interesting man in comics. He's been: a Biotech CEO, a cancer and Alzheimer's researcher, written comics for IDW, an art agent to industry titans like: Scott Radke & Clive Barker, and now he's the organizer of several comic art shows like Original Art Expo (OAX) and Indie Comic Creator Con (IC3). Kasra is on the show to talk about his journey from Biotech to the Dark Arts, the upcoming IC3 ...

Mike Del Mundo makes a return visit to talk about what's changed in his life and career since his last visit. He's also got new comics and projects coming out this summer, including: the release of his first ever art book: The Marvel Art of Mike Del Mundo, the public debut of the sci-fi/ fantasy comic universe he's been cooking up with Jonathan Hickman these last three years: 3 Worlds/ 3 Moons, variant covers for Mass Appeal and Na...

This is a King-size episode 14 yrs in the making! Badr, Drew, and Walt are reunited again to celebrate the podcast's 500th episode. Starting with a roundtable discussion about the most famous 500th issue comics books of all time, including: Archie #500, Amazing Spider-Man #500, Detective Comics #500, Iron Man #500, and X-Men #500, followedby a trip down memory lanes featuring stories about working at the comic shop together, becomi...

This episode was originally released in October 2020, as Ep. 300

This is it, our milestone 300th episode!  Not only do we discuss Venom's first full appearance in the iconic Amazing Spider-Man #300, but also past guests and friends of the show call in to celebrate with us. We also get into fan mail, Champion Season, and share a few heartfelt words on what you can expect in the next season

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NYT Bestselling comic writer and world builder, Joshua Williamson (DC K.O., Superman, The Flash,) joins me for a conversation reflecting on how he broke into comics, and going from indie creator superstar (Nailbiter, Birthright) to becoming one of the modern architects of DC Comics. We also talk about juggling an ambitious workload on current runs like G.I. Joe, Iron Man, and Superman

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This episode was originally released in September 2023, as Ep. 400

The SBX finally made it to the 400 Club! In this episode: Badr, Cesar, and Ed reviewed the best comics to ever reach 400 issues, discussed one of the weirdest X-Men stories possibly ever written, listened to some voicemails left by friends & family, and Cesar hosted an epic Roast of Badr. 

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Writer Matthew Rosenberg (4 Kids Walk Into A Bank, We Can Never Go Home, DC vs Vampires) stops by to talk about his new sci-fi adventure series in shops today, called IF DESTRUCTION BE OUR LOT. We also talk about what it was like getting the call from Todd McFarlane to be the new writer of Spawn, collaborating with Ghostface Killah on the Twelve Reasons To Die album and comic, hosting the comic podcast: IDEAS DON'T BLEED, channelin...

Every comic fan's favorite time of year is here: FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2026 is happening at local comic shops across the country this Saturday, May 2nd. I sat down with the owner of my LCS, Ben Kingsbury (Gotham City Limit) to talk about this year's event and the state of the comic industry from a retailer perspective. We also preview the free comics being offered this year, and discuss the top selling comics of the April, whether co...

Brad Gullickson (Comic Book Couples Counseling Podcast) and David Harper (SKTCHD, Off-Panel Podcast) join me for the second annual "Hyperspecific Comic Book Fantasy Draft", a celebration about the niche and esoteric things in comics and comic culture that we can't get enough of (like Dollar-Bin competition, themed sketchbooks, and Marvel Superhero Island) . We also chat about comic journalism's print resurgence, CBCC's new YT serie...

Recorded at this year's Collective Con, here's three back-to-back-to-back interviews starting with Bob's Burger character designer Jay Howell about zine culture and working in animation, and then artist/ painter Andrew Robinson speaks on longevity and the art of creating covers, and last but not least, comic colorist Mike Spicer talks about Transformers and Batman, and being Daniel Warren Johnson's right-hand man

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Fresh off his Walk...Before You Fly Tour, Rapper Ben Reilly joins the show to talk about his favorite comics, and the origin of his superhero alter ego: HEROMAN. We also discuss his critically acclaimed album: SAVE!, securing a "Stan Lee" cameo, growing up on Spider-Man, the upcoming Spider-Man Noir TV series, and the origin of his East Coast meets down South rap style.

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Dave "The Reverend" Johnson (100 Bullets, Superman: Red Son, Pop Kill) joined me on stage for a live Q&A discussing his career as one of the most in-demand cover artists of all time. We discussed his "Billboard" philosophy for comic covers, his new Superman/ Spider-Man cover, coming up with the design of Soviet Superman, drawing 100 covers for 100 Bullets,  the truth about designing the original Ben 10, and his new violent...

Joining us is Chuck Costas, an OG comic art collector and VP of Business at Propstore—one of the world’s premier auction houses for entertainment memorabilia—to preview their massive 3-day Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction happening in Los Angeles and online this March 25–27. We dive into the "holy grail" items hitting the block, including iconic props and costumes from Batman Begins, Blade, and Arrow, ...

Daniel Hastings is the owner of Jacksonville's newest comic shop in town: Black Cat Comics, and having just celebrated the shop's first anniversary, Dan sits down with us to pull back the curtain on his first 365 days in business. We talked about the challenges and rewards of being a first year comic shop owner, and Jacksonville's rich comic shop history. Dan also breaks down the current state of the industry—discussing the b...

A true architect of modern horror comics: Stephen Bissette (Swamp Thing, Taboo, Tyrant) joins the show to discuss his incredible journey from the first graduating class of the Joe Kubert School to becoming a pioneer of independent publishing. Steve is also working with Lighthouse Press to officially bring back his prehistoric masterpiece, Tyrant. We talk about the origin of this meticulously researched T-Rex biography, why he&rsquo...

Everyone's favorite comic YouTuber, Dave from West Coast Davengers, joins me live from Original Art Expo in Orlando, to record a recap of the event. We talk about our experiences at the convention as a first-timer and a seasoned attendee, the incredible original comic art we saw, the difference between collecting and engaging with art, the inaugural Kirby Awards, tips for new art collectors, and Dave lists the mandatory comic shops...

World renowned illustrator and cartoonist, Michael Cho joins the show to talk about his new comic covers for Thundarr The Barbarian and Space Ghost (for Dynamite Entertainment). We also deep dive into his artistic process, Jack Kirby and Silver Age comic influences, "meeting" Captain America in The Avengers in the Verocity Trap, and Mike takes a moment to remember his friend Darwyn Cooke. 

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Edmund Dansart is back from hiatus to join the show for a special tribute episode.  In this one, we celebrate the life and career of comics fast and furious artist Sal Buscema, followed by recapping comic news from the year so far, like the global Supergirl anthology and the Absolute Universe's latest reprint run. Ed also chimes in with his favorite comics at the moment (Universal Monsters: The Invincible Man, James Stokoe's O...