Show Notes

On this edition of Word Balloon we crunch the Diamond Distributor numbers with DC vice presidents John Rood and Bob Wayne. As reported Friday, DC had all of the top 10 books for the second month in a row, but Marvel won the market share and unit share percentage race. We break down the direct market and digital numbers and get more answers from last months Comics Pro Retailer summit in Dallas.

Then Ron Marz joins us to talk about his work on Top Cow’s Artifacts series, which has changed the status quo for the Top Cow Universe. We also talk about his Samurai vs Vampires series Shinku from Image Comics, plus we examine his departure from DC’s Voodoo series after the first 4 issues.

Finally, television writer Ben Blacker joins us. Ben and his writing partner Ben Acker created the popular comedy podcast Thrilling Adventure Hour which features live readings of sci-fi, western, and mystery sketch parodies done in the style of old time radio plays. Blacker also hosts The Nerdist Writers Panel, which is a live discussion of TV writers who talk about the business of television. They analyze the successes and failures of sitcoms, genre fiction, dramas and more. That podcast is recorded live at Meltdown Comics Podcast Theater and gives a fascinating look at the business side of television as it evolves in the current new media environment.