Alex Paknadel Interview - Cyclops

[00:00:00] - [Speaker 0]
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[00:00:11] - [Speaker 1]
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[00:00:55] - [Speaker 2]
Hello, and welcome to Comic Book Eddy's cryptid creator corner. I'm one of your hosts, Jimmy Gasparo. And, well, I I kinda wish I had started recording earlier because we have already had an amazing conversation. But, unfortunately, it was just for us. Sorry, listeners, but I'm sure we're gonna get into some really great topics with my current guest who's who's been on the podcast before.

[00:01:15] - [Speaker 2]
I'm so excited to have him back. We have plenty of comics related stuff to talk about, and I'm sure we'll find some interesting some other interesting topics along the way. But, please welcome to the podcast, Alex Pacadel. Alex, how are you doing today?

[00:01:30] - [Speaker 3]
Well enough. Thanks ever so much, Jimmy. Yeah. No. It's been it's been a minute.

[00:01:33] - [Speaker 3]
I think we're both we're we're both slightly, grayer, slightly more distinguished. But, yeah, no, it's lovely to be back. Thanks for having me.

[00:01:40] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah. No. I I appreciate you coming back. I've been, you know, following along, all the stuff that that you've been working on, since you were last on the podcast, which I was gonna look up real quick because I can't remember. I know it's I know it's been while, but yeah.

[00:01:55] - [Speaker 2]
October 2024, you were on talking about sentinels, and then you were on in November '22 to talk all against all. So this is your so your your third appearance on the podcast. And, yeah. So you've been because famously, I say on the podcast that I I just I don't read a lot of Marvel comics. And, again, it's I I tell I say it's nothing I have nothing against Marvel.

[00:02:20] - [Speaker 2]
It's just as a kid, I was kind of a DC person. When I got back into comics, like, twelve or thirteen years ago, it was because of DC comics. And, I've never really gotten like, I don't have the knowledge of Marvel Comics like I do of DC. So I have a tendency to only read Marvel Comics if it's like a writer or artist that I really like. Or, last year, I did, like, Marvel March where I had writers on that were specifically working on Marvel titles, so it forced me.

[00:02:49] - [Speaker 2]
But but it was great because turns out I love the fantastic four, and I had not really read fantastic four comics until I read Ryan North's fantastic four, and, they were incredible. And so but you're one of the other, forces because I'm such a fan of your work that I have now read sentinels and, red carnage. And, yeah, now I am now following along. I have, and reading, Cyclops, and which is what I wanted to kinda start talking about. I have my issues here.

[00:03:23] - [Speaker 2]
So, unfortunately, podcast listeners, you can't, you can't see this. But if if we throw this on YouTube, our YouTube viewers will be able to see that I got two covers of issue one, and I just I just picked up issue two.

[00:03:36] - [Speaker 3]
Amazing. Thank you.

[00:03:37] - [Speaker 2]
Oh, yeah. Absolutely. But I got one for Bobby because Bobby is a big Marvel fan, and Bobby loves Cyclops. So I thought he would like the, I think the variant cover is Clayton Crane. So I got that one for Bobby.

[00:03:49] - [Speaker 2]
My we we do a shout out to Bobby every every episode. He's the cryptic creator corner's number one most dedicated fan. And we also share our pull list at the comic book shop. He loves that.

[00:03:59] - [Speaker 4]
He loves when people say hi to him,

[00:04:01] - [Speaker 2]
so thank you, Alex. But yeah. So I've been getting more into Marvel, especially the stuff that you have been working on the past few years. And I kinda I know you've been working on some other things, you know, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and some other comics, but I kinda wanted to start with, with your Marvel work and start with, Cyclops issues one and two are already out. So could you just tell listeners a little bit about your, I guess, you your current run for Cyclops?

[00:04:33] - [Speaker 3]
Sure. Yeah. Thank you. So, yeah, my my Cyclops run, which is gonna be five issues, is sort of by design a sort of self contained story, which hopefully, you know, you'll be able to pick up off the shelf in about ten years and still have it, you know, resonate and and make sense. It's it's it it takes place within current continuity, but it's not sort of beholden to it, if that makes sense.

[00:05:03] - [Speaker 3]
So the idea is basically it's quite simple. It's Scott Summers is on his way back to the X Men's base, which is in Alaska, and gets shot down over the Canadian wilderness, the rocky the the the Rockies Of British Columbia, and finds himself slap banging in the middle of a sort of manhunt, which is being conducted by the reavers who are sort of the x men's, you know, sort of long standing cyborg enemies. It's a new generation of reavers. They're pretty gross. These ones, unlike earlier kind of iterations, they can kinda cannibalize each other for parts.

[00:05:44] - [Speaker 3]
So there's this weird sort of competition between them all, and they're all, like, real dirtbags, not pleasant to be around at all. But the sort of the the hook, I guess, is that even though Scott's kind of Scott Summers, Cyclops has come down in this forest, you know, his visor has been shattered. So he is basically making his way across inhospitable terrain with a sort of young mutant companion, and he's having to do the whole thing blindfold. Now you would think that without the sort of aid of his optic blast that he would be pretty useless, but turns out, yeah, he's a pretty resourceful guy. And, yeah, things get quite brutal quite quickly.

[00:06:33] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah. I mean, so I I read the first two issues that are that are out so far. And one of the reasons I like doing this, especially to kinda cover stuff that I'm not well versed in or super familiar with is because I I do think it's helpful if you are somebody from the outside looking in. And I think one of the issues one of the issues for me is, like, sometimes Marvel continuity unfortunately seems like impenetrable. Like, because I'm not that well versed in it, and I just like, do I how much am I gonna need to know to get, like, into this series?

[00:07:06] - [Speaker 2]
Like, am I gonna have to go back and read a ton of stuff if I just think, you know, the cover of the Cyclops issue looks cool? And I found myself I was, like, in it, like, right away. There was enough in the very first few pages that I kind of understood basically what was going on. I loved kind of the the opening of issue one where Cyclops has to kinda come to the rescue of a few other of the x men. And then once we get to the point where Cyclops is kind of stranded in the jungle, I I thought it was great.

[00:07:45] - [Speaker 2]
The artist whose work, again, I'm not really familiar with, but Roger Antonio.

[00:07:50] - [Speaker 4]
Mhmm.

[00:07:51] - [Speaker 2]
Just phenomenal. And you have I mean, just the action is so fantastic. And I really kinda like getting into the character of of of Scott for, like, my first Cyclops standalone series. I I can't wait. Like, I just thought it it really moved and kinda seeing the leader of the X Men kind of be on his own and having his most powerful weapon taken away.

[00:08:21] - [Speaker 2]
Like, I love kind of stories like that. I I thought the first two issues just played out great. And, also, the reavers have wonderful names that I really, really like.

[00:08:32] - [Speaker 3]
I agonized over them. You know what I mean? It it's like in this like, I did that with sentinels as well. Like, it was just kinda coming up with and the thing is, I mean, not to give too much away, but, like, there's a couple of them are maybe, shall we say, expendable. So, like, I'm throwing some super good names kind of, like, up against the wall and, you know, who knows if you'll see them again.

[00:08:52] - [Speaker 3]
Hopefully, you will. But yeah. No. Like, I put a lot of thought into that. I appreciate everything you said.

[00:08:59] - [Speaker 3]
Yeah. I mean, the idea was that it was gonna be very kind of self contained, which again is not to say that it doesn't doesn't sort of reflect the changes in the wider line. I I mean, Jeb McKay, who's currently writing like adjective less X Men, was a huge help throughout all of this. You know, I was kind of because, you know, he's kind of currently Scott's, you know, steward caretaker as it were. And, you know, I've I've I've very much felt like I was kind of borrowing him from Jed.

[00:09:32] - [Speaker 3]
So I was kind of running everything past Jed, and Jed was kind of extremely generous with, you know, stuff like, you know, I mean, just saying to him, like, you know, can I have a you know, can you give Scott a Quinjet that I can then trash? And he was like, yep. Cool. No problem. There's another one.

[00:09:45] - [Speaker 3]
So he was really, really generous. And, yeah, just just kind of wanted to tell a story that was really stripped down. And because normally, the stuff that I do, I think, is quite broke, and I tend to work with I mean, I I sort of joke in these. Sometimes I say, like, I work with sort of 10 pounds a plot and a five pound bag. I think that's kind of fair to say on on occasion.

[00:10:12] - [Speaker 3]
I'm not ashamed of it, but, like, you know, I really wanted to decompress, I think, on this occasion and and just write something that was a lot more kinda lean. Because, I mean, the way I've sort of articulated it is, as I've said, it's kind of it's a survival horror that just happens to sort of star Scott Summers. Right? And, like, I love survival horror. Like, I love, like, deliverance.

[00:10:34] - [Speaker 3]
I love, the gray, the edge, you know, the movies like that, you know, sort of Yeah. The descent, you know, like human beings, like, lost in the wilderness, you know, struggling to survive on the on on the basis of their wits. Like, I love all that stuff. So I just wanted to do one of those. And the way I kind of pitched it almost like in the room as it were, because it wasn't this wasn't an idea that Marvel came to me with.

[00:11:00] - [Speaker 3]
It's an idea that I came to Marvel with. What I said was, like, I wanted to do basically a a wolf a a a typical Wolverine story, but use Cyclops instead because it opens up like a host of kind of narrative possibilities. Right? If you saw a miniseries a Wolverine miniseries that was basically just just ported over this plot, I think it would be fairly unremarkable. It's kinda those are the sort of narrative expectations that you have of Wolverine.

[00:11:30] - [Speaker 3]
Right? Like, at some point, he's gonna be lost in a forest, and he's gonna be thrown back into new resources and all this kind of stuff.

[00:11:36] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah. If mean, his name really lends itself to that. A 100%.

[00:11:39] - [Speaker 3]
And, like,

[00:11:40] - [Speaker 2]
the character, you know, you you would you would expect that. So But, like

[00:11:44] - [Speaker 3]
but if but if you do this, with the guy who has, like, a hydrogen bomb in his head, if you do this with, like, stereotypically, the X Men's, like, control freak, you get some really interesting kinda character beats that just, like, immediately make themselves available to you. So that was kind of my internal thing.

[00:12:04] - [Speaker 2]
That's interesting that you you kind of, you know, pitch this to them because I know sometimes the way, you know, Marvel works is they'll they'll have, like, an idea, and they'll wanna find, like, the right creative team for it. And basically, hey. Here's the brief. Here's what we wanna do. You know, can you fit something in this?

[00:12:21] - [Speaker 2]
But I love that you kinda had the idea to take what you would think of as a typical Wolverine story and then put Cyclops in it. Because I agree. Yeah. Knowing that what what I know in terms of the differences of the two characters, it does open up a lot of different possibilities and a lot more interesting ways the story, you know, the story can go. And especially kinda taking the his visor, you know, because he away from him at one point is very interesting as well in terms of what else does he have to rely on.

[00:12:51] - [Speaker 2]
And I think also Scott

[00:12:52] - [Speaker 3]
It's it's just lost in

[00:12:53] - [Speaker 2]
some way.

[00:12:54] - [Speaker 4]
You know

[00:12:54] - [Speaker 3]
what I mean? Like that you know, it's almost like it it's it's the perfect metaphor. Right? Like, it's, you know

[00:12:59] - [Speaker 2]
Mhmm.

[00:12:59] - [Speaker 3]
Your control has been taken away from you now. And, you know, who are you without that? And that's not something that we kinda get to see very often. But, I mean, in in terms of the kind of the the the sort of the getting across the line of it all, I mean, I was really kinda taken aback by how receptive they were to it. Like, I remember, like, I was I was literally like was an idea that I had, like, percolating away for quite a while, and I was I was kind of telling I was walking I was I was I know exactly where I was.

[00:13:27] - [Speaker 3]
I was walking through Central Park with Matthew Rosenberg, and I was

[00:13:31] - [Speaker 4]
Yeah.

[00:13:31] - [Speaker 3]
And I was I was kinda telling him this idea, and he said, well, like, you you gotta pitch it. And I said, no. Look. I'm not there. You know?

[00:13:38] - [Speaker 3]
I've done sentinels. I've done some kind of bits and bobs, but, you know, I I don't feel kinda confident enough to just sort of come to them with an idea. Like, I wait to be approached, and he just basically said, like, yeah, if you don't pitch this logo, I'm never gonna talk to you again. And and so, like, yeah, I I emailed Darren, my editor, who was, like, weirdly receptive to it. But it yeah.

[00:13:59] - [Speaker 3]
I mean, like, it's I'd been working with them, I think, for that point, like, eight or nine months, and I think there was sort of, like, enough trust in the tank that they sort of let me do it. So, I mean, the long and the short of it is, like, everyone has to buy it because then they'll never trust me again if if if you don't. So please please Right.

[00:14:23] - [Speaker 2]
Well, I did see that issue one got, I think, a a second printing.

[00:14:27] - [Speaker 3]
At least

[00:14:27] - [Speaker 2]
I I at least the second printing. I don't know if there'll be more, but that's that's a good sign. You know?

[00:14:33] - [Speaker 3]
So Oh, no. Like, it it went

[00:14:35] - [Speaker 2]
It's doing well, I think.

[00:14:37] - [Speaker 3]
It did, yeah, did super well. I think it kind of exceeded their ex internal expectations, like, by quite a margin. So, no, like, you know, couldn't you know, I I couldn't be happier. People seem to really respond to it. People seem to like it.

[00:14:52] - [Speaker 3]
People seem to be ready for a take like this. No. No. I mean, it was it was it was great. I was really kind of humbled and sort of taken aback.

[00:15:02] - [Speaker 3]
And then, like, when it dropped, like, I was I was I was just on like, I was I was heading out on vacation to kind of Tenerife and just ended up being, like, a really bad, like, dad and husband because I'm kinda doing that thing of just like, how's it doing today?

[00:15:15] - [Speaker 4]
You know what I mean? Like, get off the ground. Alright.

[00:15:17] - [Speaker 2]
Alright. Alright. No. I I, no. I understand.

[00:15:20] - [Speaker 2]
But that's, you know, that's the, like, the economic reality, you know, because you all since I've started covering comics, there's always the the the conversation of, well, how do you break into comics? And then once you've broken into comics in some fashion, how do you how do you write for the big two? Like, how do you how do you get to that point where you're where you're you're doing something along those lines? And part of the issue is, though, even once you get a chance to write something, like, if you're invited in on one of those anthologies to just do a a short story or, a backup issue in something, you know, how do you get, like, to that next step and that next stage? And and part of it is, well, you know, also the books have to they have to do well because it's a it's a business, and it's not just they they want it to sell well, and that's that's another piece of it in order to take that, you know, next step and to do something else with them.

[00:16:15] - [Speaker 2]
But, I mean, I really feel you like your progression because I've read everything now that you've I think almost everything you've done for Marvel. It is kind of, interesting to see, like, your work and look at the work that you've done for, like, creator owned stuff then the work that you've, you know, done for Marvel. So one of the things I was interested in, like, how do you feel in terms of your voice as a writer for your creator owned stuff and, like, capturing that within the Marvel characters. Is that something that you find comes naturally, or do you ever struggle with that a bit with working within Marvel?

[00:16:53] - [Speaker 3]
I mean, candidly, yeah, because but, you know, not to the point where it's kinda debilitating in any way, but it's more okay. So if I'm working with my own characters, if I'm working with, you know, my own kind of I hate this word, but, like, properties or whatever. But Yeah. If I'm doing that, then there aren't really any sacred cows. So, you know, if it's my character, I can pretty much do whatever I want.

[00:17:22] - [Speaker 3]
And and, you know, one of this sort of, I try not to be too, beholden to to to sort of storytelling rules, I guess. Not which not to say that I think I'm yeah. I'm not being in, an edgelord. It's just, you know, I think rules are kind of useful to a point. Right?

[00:17:41] - [Speaker 3]
But you you also have to kind of Sure. Be free to kind of improvise within that. But, know, one of the Yeah. One of the one of the the sort of things that I, I I do believe that that drama comes from conflict. Right?

[00:17:55] - [Speaker 3]
So, like, Stephen King has this, you know, he's he's got this phenomenal book called On Writing. And at some point in that, you know, he says, you know, stories you know, take any story and what you're basically doing is you're making someone care about a character, and then you're chasing them up a tree, and then you're throwing rocks at them. Right? That's all really a story is. Right?

[00:18:16] - [Speaker 3]
Sure. Yeah. Someone you here's someone you care about, and now I'm gonna be mean to them. Yeah. And the story and how they overcome that is how they resolve the being mean to them.

[00:18:27] - [Speaker 3]
Right? And but when you're dealing with and and, you know, when when when when those are your own characters, that's fine. You know, I will torture, maim, mutilate, do whatever I need to do in order to kind of ring every drop of empathy that I possibly can out of that narrative situation. When you're dealing with with company characters, like, I still do that, but sometimes I'm surprised by the reaction. Right?

[00:18:56] - [Speaker 3]
So it's the whole thing of, like, every Spider Man story I love. Like, Peter Parker goes through some stuff.

[00:19:04] - [Speaker 4]
You know what I mean?

[00:19:05] - [Speaker 3]
Like, he goes through some stuff. Yeah. And, like, I think that's like Spider Man at his very best. Right? Spider Man at his very best is Peter Parker has 30 tons of wrought iron on top of him, and through the course of an issue has to, like, push it away.

[00:19:22] - [Speaker 3]
Right? That's that's that's a classic Spider Man story. But there are and they're not wrong, by the way, but, you know, there are there are there are people out there who month in, month out are checking in on their friend Peter. You know what I mean? Yeah.

[00:19:42] - [Speaker 3]
And Yeah. Depending on the scenario, like, you've been mean to their friend, and they're not wrong. I think both perspectives are, like, equally valid because people read comics for different reasons, and sometimes you can make you can make a perf you you know, you can make a perfectly good faith kinda created decision, and then you'll realize, like, oh, like, I've bummed someone out, and that sucks. So, like, that really I would say is, like, the it's it's the only difference, right, is is you on the one hand when it did I think a lot of it is about the capacity for change as well. So, like, there's an implied understanding, with sort of, corporate comics or, you know, mainstream comics, whatever you wanna call it, that you're kinda gonna put the furniture back the way you found it at the end.

[00:20:39] - [Speaker 3]
Right? It's almost like soap opera. In every soap opera, right, you know, you go around the dial and basically you have to, you know, you kind of, like, set fire to the pub at the end of it. Right? Like, everything has to be in.

[00:20:52] - [Speaker 2]
The the pub needs to be there in the next episode.

[00:20:55] - [Speaker 3]
Yeah. Yeah. It's like a rental car. You know what I mean? Like, you gotta give it back the way you found it.

[00:20:59] - [Speaker 3]
Right? Exactly. That's that's the big difference, I would say. You know? You can take risks.

[00:21:06] - [Speaker 3]
You can still take risks. You can still do all all kinds of interesting things. And, you know, I found, like, both DC and Marvel that, like, editorial are very receptive to, like, big swings. But, like, whatever you do at the end of that, as you say you know what I mean? Like, you are not the owner of these character.

[00:21:28] - [Speaker 3]
You characters, you are the steward. And so you, you know, you you leave the place as you found it. You know what I mean? Yeah. You you you you make the bed, you leave the key on the side, and you leave.

[00:21:40] - [Speaker 2]
No. I understand. I was just curious about that. Well, speaking of, like, fan reaction to things or, you know, folks being upset if you have to do mean things to the characters they love, what's your, like, you know, convention experience like in the past, you know, year or so? Like, have you been getting out to going to things, and how has how has the reaction been from fans?

[00:22:04] - [Speaker 2]
I haven't I've only been to a couple, honestly. Like, I went

[00:22:07] - [Speaker 3]
to Thought Bubble, but I I didn't table. I just went as, a punter, because one thing I find particularly with Thought Bubble where low where people are selling really interesting comics is, like, if I'm behind my table the whole time, I miss all the cool comics because by the time I actually get a minute to go and go shopping, like, they've they've sold out. So I just went as, a customer who's great.

[00:22:29] - [Speaker 2]
Oh, that's awesome.

[00:22:30] - [Speaker 3]
I'm a terrible I'm a terrible kind of convention attendee, really, because, like, I don't make I don't make any money because I just spend it all on comics.

[00:22:41] - [Speaker 2]
You know what I mean?

[00:22:42] - [Speaker 4]
It's it's like

[00:22:44] - [Speaker 3]
Yeah. Slow system. Yeah. Yeah. But no.

[00:22:48] - [Speaker 3]
I mean, I like I've I've only been to one show since Cyclops dropped, and that was

[00:22:54] - [Speaker 2]
Okay.

[00:22:54] - [Speaker 3]
That was in Scotland, and that was really nice. Like, I hadn't, like, you know and I had I mean, one thing I've noticed as well, I think, particularly since, like, the ultimate universe and the absolute stuff has been going is, like, there's a much younger demographic coming into the coming into the medium, which can only be good. And they were kind of, you know, they wanted to kind of and, like, they, you know, they were asking, like, real, like, you know, real kind of craft questions. And I was you know, I I hope I was kind of happy to oblige. But yeah.

[00:23:32] - [Speaker 3]
No. I mean, in the main, I've found people have been sort of very kind, but but but but, you know, I will also freely own. Like, I haven't been as kind of active on the convention circuit as I as I should have, mainly because, like, I would have no money. Yeah.

[00:23:51] - [Speaker 2]
No. I totally understand that. This is the first year that I'm think I I've never been to New York Comic Con, and I'm thinking about going this year. Not, you know, just as like a a fan to, like, My

[00:24:04] - [Speaker 3]
crash on the floor.

[00:24:05] - [Speaker 2]
Stuff out. Oh, sure. Thanks. Sure. That'd that'd be a that'd be a real help.

[00:24:11] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah. Just I'll once once I confirm where what I'm doing, what I'll where I'm staying, I'll let you know. Sorry. No. That's that's that's absolutely fine.

[00:24:22] - [Speaker 2]
But I've never been before, and I'm really excited about about going. I'm just like, oh, yeah. I'm gonna like, I go to Baltimore every year, and I have, like, a very, like, defined budget in terms of buying. So because I'm supposed to be going for, like, press for comic book Eddie to talk to creators and to talk to people. And, like, my brother goes with me, and then we do an episode both before and after.

[00:24:44] - [Speaker 2]
Like, who what are we excited to do? Who are we excited to see? And then we'll do a post one. But, yeah, I'm like I feel like I'm, like, concerned about my budget to New York Comic Con because it just seems like it's, it's such a, like, a much bigger show, and it just seems like there's gonna be a lot of cool people there. And, yeah, again, cool comics.

[00:25:04] - [Speaker 2]
I'm the exact I'm the exact same way. I think if I ever tabled somewhere, I one, I would have to have clearly defined times as to when I had to be at my table. And two, I would really have to watch, how how much I spent.

[00:25:19] - [Speaker 3]
I mean, like, thought bubble thought bubble's a really interesting show because it's very kinda comics focused. Like, there's very little other than comics. And the kind of the running joke is that don't get me wrong. You know? Like, currency, like, cash money is there as a kind of proxy, but really it's a barter economy.

[00:25:38] - [Speaker 3]
Because what's really happening is basically, like, someone comes up to your table and kinda goes, I'm gonna buy your comic, and you go, they're cool. And then you go to their table and buy their comic. And for all intents and purposes, yeah, money is changing hands, but you're effectively just swapping comics.

[00:25:54] - [Speaker 2]
You know

[00:25:54] - [Speaker 4]
what I mean? Like, you go back

[00:25:56] - [Speaker 3]
like Yeah. Yep. Net zero. Oh, hello. Hi.

[00:25:59] - [Speaker 2]
There's Penny. Penny's Hi. Penny's hanging out. Yeah. Penny, say hi to Alex.

[00:26:04] - [Speaker 2]
I think last time Alec I think the first time Alex was on, Penny, you popped up in the back of the screen, which would have been you were probably four years old because that was probably four years ago. You're aging

[00:26:15] - [Speaker 3]
better than I am. Hi. Nice to see you again.

[00:26:18] - [Speaker 2]
He says nice to see you again. You can't hear him because I have my headphones on.

[00:26:22] - [Speaker 3]
Oh, sorry.

[00:26:23] - [Speaker 2]
No. You're fine. You're fine. Yeah. Well, Penny's gonna Penny's gonna get her first taste of of tabling because we are we are doing a signing at my local shop, I think, on May 2 for, my paper cuts, my first graphic novel, Penny and the Yeti, which is coming out April 21.

[00:26:42] - [Speaker 2]
So, yeah, so Penny's gonna go with me to, to our first signing. So she'll get she'll at eight years old, she'll she'll she'll get, feet first into what it's like hanging out all day at a comic book shop, and hopefully people show up to buy your book.

[00:27:00] - [Speaker 3]
That's crazy. What's your shop?

[00:27:02] - [Speaker 2]
My my my shop is it's just called the comic book shop in Wilmington, Delaware. It's Yeah. Right down the street from my house. And, yeah, I think we're working out the details right now, but I think Saturday, May 2, we're we're maybe gonna do a signing at the shop for Penny

[00:27:18] - [Speaker 3]
and Gedding. Because, like, I I remember, like, last time we were talking, like, that was, like, that was that was something that was, like, in the hopper.

[00:27:26] - [Speaker 2]
You know what mean? And now it's

[00:27:27] - [Speaker 3]
Now it's now here it is. That's great.

[00:27:30] - [Speaker 2]
Here it is. Here it is. I'm super excited about it. It was, yeah. I've been, like, doing other podcasts and YouTube shows and whatever trying to promote it and trying to figure out the best way to you know, because everyone I know is, an indie comics, and sometimes indie stuff doesn't it's tough in terms of, like, all ages to try and figure out how to promote that.

[00:27:52] - [Speaker 2]
You know? So I have a couple of talks scheduled at, like, Penny School and a couple other area schools. There's a have you considered children's

[00:27:59] - [Speaker 3]
a wing walk? What is that? You know, when, like, you strap yourself to, like, a biplane.

[00:28:05] - [Speaker 4]
Oh. They wanna loop. I

[00:28:07] - [Speaker 2]
can I just You know? I will look it out. No. There is a there is a local airport here in, Newcastle. So maybe I I can see if that's something they will do in order to, you know, figure out the best way to to advertise.

[00:28:22] - [Speaker 2]
But that's an idea. I'll add that to the list of of things I would I would consider doing. But, yeah, it's it's it's interesting. I I have a newfound respect for people that come on my podcast having to do other shows and, you know, just trying not to say the same answers all the time, trying to come up with other different interesting things to say. And then also, like, it's impacted, you know, trying to talk about other stuff than than the same thing the person has talked about, like, on, you know, other ways to to promote it.

[00:28:56] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah. It's been an interesting kind of experience.

[00:28:58] - [Speaker 3]
But I I always feel like I I I manage I manage to do that by just, like, going off paced. You know what I mean? Uh-huh. Like, the whole time. Yeah.

[00:29:06] - [Speaker 3]
So, like, I'll go on a different podcast and then, like, invariably, you know, the conversation will kind of you know? Yeah. There'll be, like, a quarter of an hour on, like, provolone.

[00:29:14] - [Speaker 2]
Right.

[00:29:16] - [Speaker 4]
Yeah. That and but no no no problem. Well, I

[00:29:19] - [Speaker 2]
was thinking, you know, if I do go to New York, like, if you come you come over here, if you're going to New York, we can just stay in Delaware, and we'll just we'll just drive up, and we'll do an East Coast food tour. Me and you, we'll get we'll get Are you you hunting right now?

[00:29:34] - [Speaker 3]
Because I will I will do this, Jimmy.

[00:29:39] - [Speaker 2]
We'll get we'll get burgers. We'll get cheesesteaks. You know? We'll stop in Jersey for some, you know, there's some some specific, Jersey specific sandwiches. I don't know if you've ever been involved.

[00:29:54] - [Speaker 2]
If you I don't do you eat pork or no? Yeah. Yeah. Because there's the there's the in Jersey, there's a big debate as to whether or not they call it pork roll or Taylor ham, which is kinda like a Canadian bacon. New Jersey people don't get mad at me.

[00:30:09] - [Speaker 2]
I'm just trying to describe what it is if Alex doesn't know. But there's, like, a great place for

[00:30:14] - [Speaker 3]
Condon. Right? Like, pretty soon?

[00:30:16] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah. I just had him. I just had I just had him on. He's in Jersey.

[00:30:19] - [Speaker 3]
Yeah. So yeah. Okay. But Condon can tell you. Like, he's a Jersey guy.

[00:30:24] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah. Yeah. He is. He's yeah. And he is.

[00:30:28] - [Speaker 2]
But, yeah, there's a great sandwich that a couple places do with pork roll or Taylor ham, whatever you wanna call it, which is, like, phenomenal. Yeah. So would that be great? Just hit all the cheesesteak places on our way up to New York.

[00:30:43] - [Speaker 3]
I mean, I I'm I'm not gonna lie. Like, there was I went to, like, was it a a deli in Chicago a few years ago? Because, like, we have, like, knockoff versions of, like, your amazing sandwiches, like, over here. But, like, you know, if, like, if I order, like, a Reuben in London, like, I'll get, like, a solitary slice of, like, sad corned beef. You know what I mean?

[00:31:08] - [Speaker 2]
Oh, okay.

[00:31:08] - [Speaker 3]
And, like, sauerkraut that, like, pulls your gums back over your teeth. It's just it's no good. But I I genuinely like, I I'm I'm I'm almost ashamed to admit it, but not so ashamed that I won't say it. Like, I did genuinely like, I went for a Reuben in in at this deli in Chicago and, like, hand to god. Like, I did, like, the kind of, like, the single tier.

[00:31:29] - [Speaker 3]
You know what I mean? Like, it was so good. There was, like, the single tier. Yeah. So, yeah, I mean, look.

[00:31:34] - [Speaker 3]
If you if you're if you are if you're genuinely suggesting, like, a sort of culinary odyssey, like, I'm I'm so down you wouldn't believe it. But also, like, you know, we can we can do a show if you want. Like, you know what I mean?

[00:31:50] - [Speaker 4]
We do New York Comic Con if

[00:31:51] - [Speaker 2]
you want.

[00:31:52] - [Speaker 3]
Right? But we're like And hurry on up to Montreal. Like, I'm

[00:31:55] - [Speaker 4]
fine. Yeah. Because I'm

[00:31:59] - [Speaker 2]
a there's a couple of I mean, Philly is, you know, known for cheesesteaks. Philly has, like I I mean, I'm not from I'm from right outside of Philly in in Delco, Delaware County, and now I'm in Delaware. And I think Philly has, like, an un like, an underrated food scene. There's plenty of other places in The US that that people think of for for, you know, for great food other than Philly. But Philly has an amazing food scene, and in the past, like, ten, twenty years, it's only gotten better.

[00:32:30] - [Speaker 2]
It's not just cheesesteaks, although they do have some, you know, I I love I love a good cheesesteak, but, you know, there's so many other amazing places in Philly. And there are certain areas of Philly, like, some things that folks might not think about. But along Washington Street, there's a

[00:32:47] - [Speaker 3]
ton of

[00:32:48] - [Speaker 2]
Vietnamese restaurants, and there's just some amazing Vietnamese food in Philly. Just, like, absolutely incredible stuff. May ask Also, a think

[00:32:58] - [Speaker 3]
is it like, in May ask, do you have any more children in the room?

[00:33:02] - [Speaker 2]
There's no kids. Penny Penny Penny left. So you're She she is. Right?

[00:33:07] - [Speaker 3]
There is there is a restaurant in Manchester, and Mancunians, you know, have, like, a good sense of humor and a, you know K. A pretty coarse sense of humor. You know, it's the North Of England. It's where I'm from. And there is a restaurant in Manchester's Northern Quarter called Pho, right, p h o, right, and Pho Q as in ooey ooey.

[00:33:38] - [Speaker 3]
Pho Pho Q. And Yeah. You you have to know how to pronounce it in order to get it. So it's like, oh, yeah. Well, we'll do it like folk you.

[00:33:47] - [Speaker 3]
Yeah. Like, that's Yeah. And you go, yeah. It's not it's cool, my friend.

[00:33:51] - [Speaker 2]
I'm really lucky there's a great, because we were talking about burgers before we started recording. I was talking about the Delaware burger battle that Bobby and I go on, but there's a great burger place right around the corner from me called Wild Witch, and their burgers are it's just in a little strip mall. There's, like, three little stores. And and, you know, there's, like, an ice cream shop, Wild Witch, and then I think there's a place that, like, will do your taxes. Like, but it's not it's just a mom

[00:34:16] - [Speaker 3]
and pop service operation is what you're saying. But Yeah.

[00:34:19] - [Speaker 2]
I mean, it's like Look. That's what you need. But the wild witch burgers are phenomenal. It's just an unbelievably delicious burger.

[00:34:28] - [Speaker 4]
And then they have, like they

[00:34:29] - [Speaker 2]
do have, like, fancy stuff, like, in terms of different styles. Like, if you want, you know, like, like a barbecue and this, they have interesting names for all of it, but the burgers are just incredible, amazing fries. And, yeah. But there's a couple places in Philly that do just some phenomenal food. And then, like, you know, on the way up through Jersey and then into New York.

[00:34:51] - [Speaker 2]
But that would be it. That would I I don't know. I'm kinda serious, Alex. Like, this the more I'm talking about it, the more the more excited I am. I I have there's another thing I have to know.

[00:34:59] - [Speaker 2]
Where do you stand on on hot dogs? Are you a hot dog person or no?

[00:35:03] - [Speaker 3]
Here's a tricky one. And, like, obviously, like, you know, ultimately, this is a promotional exercise as much you know, as pleasant as it is to kinda spend time with you. But, know, I'm trying to kinda promote a book. I don't wanna alienate anyone. Okay.

[00:35:17] - [Speaker 3]
That's fair. But in terms of, like, which city does the best one, I gotta be honest, man. Like, I'm ambivalent. You know what I mean? Like, I've had some phenomenal dogs in New York.

[00:35:28] - [Speaker 3]
I've had phenomenal dogs in Chicago. I don't really know where I don't I I don't really know where I kinda sit on the kinda ketchup mustard divide. Okay. Or even the pickle divide. You know what I mean?

[00:35:40] - [Speaker 3]
Like, I like, it's it's it's like, I've had some, yeah, like, I've had some very special experiences. I do have an opinion on pizza, but I'm not gonna share that because I'll get in a lot of trouble.

[00:35:48] - [Speaker 2]
Oh, oh, really?

[00:35:49] - [Speaker 3]
It's multi tray.

[00:35:50] - [Speaker 2]
Way to get in the you're right. You're right. Look. I I I don't have any strong opinions about pizza. I I love all pizza.

[00:36:00] - [Speaker 2]
I'm essentially a teen a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.

[00:36:02] - [Speaker 4]
This is the thing.

[00:36:03] - [Speaker 3]
Right? Like, it's all it's like, truly, again, like, as we were discussing earlier on, like, it's just it's a question of care. Right? If you care Yeah. Doesn't really matter where it's from.

[00:36:13] - [Speaker 3]
It's gonna be a special pie. Right?

[00:36:15] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah. I I but I'm I'll I'll eat I'm not a I don't have any very strong opinions about, like, pizza. I just I'll eat I I just I'll eat whatever. Again, which but but to segue into, you know, teenage mutant ninja turtles, which you've also written recently.

[00:36:33] - [Speaker 3]
Yes. Oh my god. Comics.

[00:36:38] - [Speaker 2]
Roy, so because you you have been doing the Casey Jones series for for IDW, and I think issue number six is coming out, like, in a week as we record this. Right?

[00:36:51] - [Speaker 3]
Imminently. Yeah. It's it's all drawn to a close, which means the, like, the the only therapy I've ever been paid for. Genuine like like, writing that book was such fun, and it was just, you know, I will normally you know, if I'm doing kind of licensed work, I mean, I did, like, cult of the lamb recently, right, based on, you know, based on the video game and everything. And Yeah.

[00:37:24] - [Speaker 3]
My only way into it was to do kind of really, like, I don't wanna say elevated because it's, like, pretentious as hell, but, like, tried to do, like, a sort of nuanced take that had, like, a grounding in, like, actual sort of scapegoating, and I was reading all this kinda, like, social theory and stuff. And, you know, like, I I really kinda went to town on it. And, like, the brief that I was given, like, I tried to start doing that with kinda Casey, and I was just getting notes back. And they were lovely notes, by the way. And, you know, I was working with, like, you know, some friends of mine, you know, Dave Weilgosh and Andy Curry.

[00:38:05] - [Speaker 3]
And the notes that I was getting back when I was sort of first kind of trying to kinda pitch the thing were very much on the order of like and and by the way, like, you know, these are fantastic kind of creatives, like, in their own right. But they were very much on the order of, like, have you considered having him, like, kick someone's skull in? I'm like, oh, oh, you mean, like, is that fun? Alright. And, like, to get that kind of permission structure where I can just basically just, like, have a blast.

[00:38:40] - [Speaker 3]
Yeah. Like I said, it was like it was like therapy, and I was getting paid for it. I'm so bummed it's over. Yeah.

[00:38:48] - [Speaker 2]
Now I have to, like,

[00:38:49] - [Speaker 3]
I don't know, try and do sit ups or something.

[00:38:53] - [Speaker 4]
Yeah. I I don't know if

[00:38:55] - [Speaker 2]
you have that for him. Just maybe take a nice long walk on a nice day. You know? Something. Get some air.

[00:39:01] - [Speaker 2]
Get some fresh air.

[00:39:02] - [Speaker 3]
Look. Look. Look. We're gentlemen of a certain age as we were discussing earlier on, and I think we've both agreed that, like, movement in general is extremely dangerous. And should not be attempted without adult supervision.

[00:39:16] - [Speaker 2]
Yes. No. I definitely need to be supervised after we were talking about it. Two weeks ago, I tore my right kid on

[00:39:22] - [Speaker 3]
the Okay. You're safe. Right.

[00:39:24] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah. Yeah. I'm gonna do all these from now on from just lying lying in bed. Actually, I I do them from the couch in my basement, so I just I can just turn

[00:39:32] - [Speaker 3]
Don't turn.

[00:39:33] - [Speaker 2]
And just lie down. Pretend to turn. It's it's a very slow process.

[00:39:38] - [Speaker 4]
It's okay.

[00:39:39] - [Speaker 3]
How did you free your back out? Doing my shoe

[00:39:41] - [Speaker 2]
hang ups. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So me sitting at a doctor's office.

[00:39:47] - [Speaker 2]
So how did you injure yourself during a podcast? It's like, yeah. It's I don't I don't really wanna get into it. But

[00:39:55] - [Speaker 3]
I I moved my eyes too quickly. Yep.

[00:40:00] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah. I actually can't move my eyes too quickly. I sometimes get vertigo. That's not a bit. That's real.

[00:40:06] - [Speaker 2]
And yeah. Now I feel bad. It's a get getting getting older is just just the worst. I tell I tell everyone, my grandmother, may she she rest in peace. She lived until she was 94.

[00:40:19] - [Speaker 2]
She was my biggest fan, and she was her name was Eunice. You, we called her Eun or I called her Eun. Eun was amazing. And, but one of the things that I still remember she used to say as she got older and got aches and pains, She she used to say that getting older isn't a sin, but it sure is inconvenient. I just think of that literally all the time.

[00:40:47] - [Speaker 3]
Yeah. I think, like, I I had it described to me, god, this is this is this is its own kind of subject, isn't it? But someone said a while ago, like, a a friend of mine who's, like, in his seventies, who was my creative writing tutor, like, back in the day, and he was just describing stuff. He said, like, there's this weird thing that happens. Like, when you're in your twenties, right, when you when you hurt something, you hurt things in the expectation that they're not gonna be hurt anymore in relatively short order.

[00:41:21] - [Speaker 3]
So, like, you hurt your knee in your twenties, and, like, every you know, within a couple weeks, like, that's that's you that there's your knee. But, like, when when you get past that, like, when you hurt things, like, that's your hurt knee now. You know what I mean? Yeah. Like, you hurt your knee, and, like, now you have a hurt knee.

[00:41:41] - [Speaker 3]
Yes. But that's just you. Like, you're you're the guy with the hurt knee. Yep.

[00:41:46] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah. No. I I get it. Unfortunately I

[00:41:49] - [Speaker 3]
think he was made

[00:41:50] - [Speaker 2]
of a first. Perfect sense. Yeah. It really is. It really it really it really is.

[00:41:56] - [Speaker 2]
So, Alex, I I mean, is is Marvel keeping you pretty busy, and IDW is now wrapping up? Is there anything else you have on the horizon you wanna talk about, or something still still under wraps?

[00:42:12] - [Speaker 3]
Yeah. Not that I can talk about. I'm I I do have Okay. Upcoming. I know Marvel rather foolishly trusted me with a what if they're doing a fiftieth anniversary celebration of the what if line, and I'm doing what if the ultimate universe survived secret wars.

[00:42:39] - [Speaker 3]
So, yeah, I'm having a lot of fun with that being No. That's awesome. Really mean to your faves, but it's okay because it's a what if. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:42:54] - [Speaker 3]
So yeah. Yeah. So that's upcoming. And, yeah, like everything else, yeah, like a shepherd's crook will presumably come in from sort of stage right and, like, yank me away.

[00:43:05] - [Speaker 2]
But, yeah, like, there's there's Or you won't.

[00:43:06] - [Speaker 3]
There's there's plenty of other stuff, but, like, I can't really talk about

[00:43:09] - [Speaker 2]
it yet. But yeah. Alright. That's fair. That's the nature of comics, but Create

[00:43:14] - [Speaker 3]
our own create our thing coming up, which I'm very excited about. I'm I'm looking forward to sort of unveiling

[00:43:20] - [Speaker 2]
that. Awesome. Awesome. Well, I'll I'll, put links in the show notes for folks to follow you on, social media to check out your stuff. And, also, you know, I'm sure they're gonna collect your, teenage mutant ninja turtles, Casey Jones, but you can jump on board.

[00:43:36] - [Speaker 2]
Cyclops issues one and two are out. And, also, I'll give a plug, for some of the things that first really made me a fan of of Alex's writing, not only All Against All, but even before that, with, I think gosh. Was Friendo the first thing of yours that I read? Yeah. I think I think Friendo was the first was the first thing from Vault, but I loved All Against All.

[00:44:02] - [Speaker 2]
It was just one of my one of my favorites. I tell everybody about it. Oh, thank you.

[00:44:07] - [Speaker 3]
It's yeah. I I'm always there was like, Dennis Camp is, like, a pretty good friend of mine. And Yeah. I got because he he like, the first issue of, like, assorted crisis events, if you like, if you're reading through it, like, there's just a sort of little interlude with this, like, a dumb movie, like, a dumb action movie. Like, he messaged me

[00:44:29] - [Speaker 4]
about it.

[00:44:30] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah. Read

[00:44:30] - [Speaker 3]
it. Yeah. It's called all against all, and he was messaging me like he's like, you know, like, wrote this, like, four years ago. Like, I didn't

[00:44:36] - [Speaker 4]
I didn't know it was gonna be, like, the title of your book.

[00:44:39] - [Speaker 3]
I was like, nah. I'm kinda bummed that it wasn't. You know? Like, I would have been absolutely fine with that. You know?

[00:44:46] - [Speaker 3]
Like, yeah.

[00:44:48] - [Speaker 2]
I I did notice that. And I was like, oh, that's odd. But but they, you know, it's Didn't seem like they were happily insulted by

[00:44:58] - [Speaker 3]
to my face like a decent human being. Yeah. Right. Yeah. He's not underhanded.

[00:45:04] - [Speaker 3]
He'll be like you suck. He's not just gonna

[00:45:06] - [Speaker 2]
he's not just gonna throw some shade

[00:45:08] - [Speaker 3]
Yeah.

[00:45:08] - [Speaker 2]
In a in a in a comic book. But yeah. Also, listeners, if you haven't read that, we'll we'll plug Dennis Camp. All the assorted crisis events is is also

[00:45:17] - [Speaker 3]
He doesn't need any

[00:45:18] - [Speaker 2]
Very, very good.

[00:45:18] - [Speaker 3]
Plug in. Come on, man. He's

[00:45:20] - [Speaker 2]
Oh, okay. Never mind. Don't read it. He's absolutely tearing it up and deserved it so. But, yeah, Cyclops, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Casey Jones, Cult of the Lamb.

[00:45:35] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah. And and, like, Alex,

[00:45:37] - [Speaker 3]
screw it. Assorted Crisis Events. You should read Assorted Crisis events.

[00:45:40] - [Speaker 2]
Okay. Extremely Alright. We're back on.

[00:45:41] - [Speaker 3]
You can read the swords as well, which is incredible.

[00:45:44] - [Speaker 2]
There's it's there's just so many there's so many good comics. It's just a wonderful time to be a fan of comic books. But, yeah, Alex, thank you so much for for for taking time on the, on on your Sunday to record this episode with me. I really appreciate it. And, yeah, I'll put links in the show notes to everything.

[00:46:06] - [Speaker 2]
Listeners, if you're not reading Cyclops, you absolutely should. And take it from someone who is not well versed in what is going on in the Marvel universe. I found it very easy to get into. I I'm captivated by the story. I can't wait to see what happens to Cyclops next.

[00:46:20] - [Speaker 2]
And if nothing else, you need to read it, for the wonderful artwork, by the by Roger Antonio and, also to find out what all the Reavers names are because they're really great, and they make me giggle. Alex, thank you very much.

[00:46:36] - [Speaker 3]
Thank you, Jimmy.

[00:46:37] - [Speaker 2]
Appreciate it. Appreciate it.

[00:46:38] - [Speaker 3]
Thanks for your time.

[00:46:40] - [Speaker 2]
Alright. So listeners, rate review us. Do all the stuff they tell you to do. It really helps. Subscribe to the show.

[00:46:44] - [Speaker 2]
You can also subscribe on YouTube. We put these on YouTube. So if you wanna see what we will look like, and, that's a thing you can do. And we really do appreciate it. Thank you so much for listening, and I'll see you next time.

[00:46:59] - [Speaker 5]
This is Byron O'Neil, one of your hosts of the Cryptid Creator Corner brought to you by Comic Book Yeti. We hope you've enjoyed this episode of our podcast. Please rate, review, subscribe, all that good stuff. It lets us know how we're doing and more importantly, how we can improve. Thanks for listening.

[00:47:19] - [Speaker 0]
If you enjoyed this episode of the Cryptid Creator Corner, maybe you would enjoy our sister podcast, Into the Comics Cave. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.