Thanks to Netflix Philippines, I was able to sit down with Sandman writer and executive producer Neil Gaiman! I asked him about how they managed to change so much of Sandman, one of my favorite comics of all time, and yet somehow retain the spiritual essence of the work.
Talking to Neil Gaiman was such a pleasure and a privilege, and while I clearly was nervous, I like to think I held my own.
I've had a couple of fan discussions about Netflix's Sandman, including this one with my nephew Tristan after we were fortunate enough to get a screener from Netflix:
And this discussion with my friends Lizzy and Max Brown. Max is also an actor who brought some of his industry insights into the discussion:
Last year, JH Williams III (co-writer/artist), W. Haden Blackman (writer), Dave Stewart (colorist), and Todd Klein (letterer) launched Echolands, a series years in the making, by way of Image Comics. The first hardcover just came out, collecting the first six issues.
Echolands' basic premise is that this world is made up of places that each fit a different fictional genre. Protagonist Hope Redhood (drawn in JH Williams III's "usual" style) is from Mythwood, her friend Castrum (drawn more like Dick Tracy) is from Old Chicago, her frenemy Rosa (drawn in black and white) is from Horror Hill.... you get the point.
This is not a review because if you've been following The Comics Cube on YouTube and/or Spotify, you'd know exactly where I stand on the series. Instead, I'd like to share with you a short excerpt from the dedication of Volume 1.
Let's zoom in, shall we?
What a thrill to be mentioned in an actual graphic novel by one of my all-time absolute favorite creators! And yes, our conversations have been fun and amazing, as he mentioned. I interviewed JH Williams III for the first time at the end of 2020:
Since then, we have done issue-by-issue recaps of Echolands, including this preview prior to the launch of the series:
Issue 1:
Issue 2:
Issue 3:
Issue 4:
Issue 5:
Issue 6:
I also had a separate chat with co-writer W. Haden Blackman about it:
And I also talked to JH Williams III about the volume 1 hardcover:
I will also be talking to JH Williams III live for the Philippine International Comics Festival on September 14 10am Philippine time (that is September 13 10pm ET/7pm PT). You can register here for free: https://bit.ly/picof2022. I'll also be talking in other segments to Brian Bolland and Dave Gibbons, Danny Fingeroth, Jeff Smith, and a couple of other creators (as yet unnanounced).
I reached out to comics creators I've previously interviewed — and some I haven't — to pay tribute to the great George Perez. Participating creators are Andrea Di Vito, Barbara Kesel, Bill Walko, Bill Sienkiewicz, Bruno Redondo, Budjette Tan, Chris Ryall, Chriscross, Cliff Chiang, Dave Gibbons, Dirk Manning, Fred Van Lente, Gene Ha, Geoff Thorne, Gerry Conway, Haden Blackman, Hilary Barta, Ian Sta. Maria, Jamal Igle, Jeromy Cox, JH Williams III, Jill Thompson, Jim Salicrup, JM DeMatteis, Joe Rubinstein, Kerry Callen, Mark Russell, Mark Waid, Paul Gilligan, Paul Levitz, Richard Pace, Rob Schamberger, Scott Dunbier, Stephanie Chan, Steve Englehart, Tom DeFalco, Trina Robbins, and Zander Cannon.
00:00:00 Quick Intro
00:00:51 What do you think of when you hear the name "George Perez"?
00:57:00 What is your favorite work by George Perez?
01:48:55 What is George Perez's legacy in comics?
03:01:15 What did you think when you heard the news about his health?
03:31:33 What do you think of the way he's been handling it?
03:65:18 Any anecdotes about George Perez?
04:27:09 What would you say to George Perez directly right now?
I reached out to comics creators I've previously interviewed — and some I haven't — to pay tribute to the great George Perez. Participating creators are Andrea Di Vito, Barbara Kesel, Bill Walko, Bill Sienkiewicz, Bruno Redondo, Budjette Tan, Chris Ryall, Chriscross, Cliff Chiang, Dave Gibbons, Dirk Manning, Fred Van Lente, Gene Ha, Geoff Thorne, Gerry Conway, Haden Blackman, Hilary Barta, Ian Sta. Maria, Jamal Igle, Jeromy Cox, JH Williams III, Jill Thompson, Jim Salicrup, JM DeMatteis, Joe Rubinstein, Kerry Callen, Mark Russell, Mark Waid, Paul Gilligan, Paul Levitz, Richard Pace, Rob Schamberger, Scott Dunbier, Stephanie Chan, Steve Englehart, Tom DeFalco, Trina Robbins, and Zander Cannon.
00:00:00 Quick Intro 00:00:51 What do you think of when you hear the name "George Perez"? 00:57:00 What is your favorite work by George Perez? 01:48:55 What is George Perez's legacy in comics? 03:01:15 What did you think when you heard the news about his health? 03:31:33 What do you think of the way he's been handling it? 03:65:18 Any anecdotes about George Perez? 04:27:09 What would you say to George Perez directly right now?
