One of the things I tell guests before every episode of The ComicsXF Interview Podcast is “Tangents are welcome and encouraged.” Because while we’re there to talk about comics, there’s a joy in being able to lower the wall of professionalism for a moment and just talk about the Wu-Tang Clan (with Mike Del Mundo), the new Naked Gun movie (with Ben Kahn) or the best covers of Toto’s “Africa” (with Meghan Fitzmartin; episode dropping next week).
But what if a comics podcast had next to nothing to do with comics?
Enter the Superfan Podcast, where the people who make the comics you love talk about the things that they love — that aren’t comics. Launching this very Friday, the show is hosted by Christian Gossett (story artist, Eyes of Wakanda, The Red Star), Kristen Simon (executive editor at Mad Cave Studios’ Nakama Press) and Superfan Promotions founder David Hyde.
Their first guest is Peabody Award-winning screenwriter and producer Rodney Barnes (Killadelphia), who talks about Stephen King. Barnes reflects on what makes for a seminal King story and what the King of Horror’s novels reveal about American life. He also opens up about his own creative journey, which was forever transformed by his up-close and personal experience with King on the set of the film The Green Mile.
In future episodes, comic book writer, novelist and Emmy Award-winning screenwriter Marc Guggenheim (Star Wars: Jedi Knights) chats about growing up on Long Island obsessed with the music of Billy Joel. Eisner Award-winning and Hugo Award-nominated writer Kelly Sue DeConnick (Wonder Woman Historia) talks about being inspired by actor, director, screenwriter and author Alan Alda — and her decision to get Alan Alda knuckle tattoos. Harvey Award-winning and New York Times bestselling cartoonist Matt Kindt (Mind MGMT) decodes the joy of John le Carré’s spy novels. Eisner Award-winning writer Marjorie Liu (Monstress) discusses being the keeper of a plant passed down for generations and why gardening is her obsession. And New York Times bestselling and Caldecott Honor-winning cartoonist (and former musician) Patrick McDonnell (Mutts) reveals why he’s fascinated by Frank Zappa.
And for each episode, the hosts share a conversation-appropriate dessert recipe, as well as a cocktail and/or mocktail inspired by the interview.
ComicsXF chatted with Hyde, Simon and Gossett about the show, and made sure to ask them questions that were not about comics.
ComicsXF: What is the origin of this podcast? How did you three kooky kids (adults) come together?
David Hyde: All three Superfan Podcast co-hosts live in Los Angeles. We wear different hats in the comics and entertainment industries, and we also wear different hats as co-hosts. It’s completely a coincidence that the three of us all have distinctly different backgrounds, but it’s served us pretty well so far, I think.
Kris Simon is an executive editor at Mad Cave Studios, and it was Kris who was initially keen to launch a podcast. Kris does all the heavy lifting for the Superfan Signal, as the primary writer of all the posts. She also pairs a dessert recipe with each episode of the podcast.
Christian Gossett is a writer, artist and the creator of the hit Image Comics series The Red Star. He’s worked on movies for Tim Burton, Peter Jackson and George Lucas, and he originated the prototype that would become Darth Maul’s double-bladed lightsaber, which is a fun fact I like to tell random people. Gossett has both a production and theater background, and he’s probably the co-host most comfortable on mic. He’s also done incredible portraits of all of the season one guests.
I’ve been promoting comic publishers and creators for years while running Superfan Promotions, so when it came time to book the guests, it made sense for me to take the lead on that task, as well as doing preliminary interview research. I also pair a cocktail or mocktail with each episode.
The three of us wanted to do something different with the Superfan Podcast, and we settled on the concept of interviewing the writers and artists who make the comics you love about the things that they love (that aren’t comics). The idea is that these might be the conversations you’d overhear at a great party.
Christian Gossett: My favorite origin story of the podcast is that David and Kris came back from San Diego Comic-Con and asked if I would join them on this adventure. I thought they were a bit mad to ask me, of all people, given both of their extensive networks, but I so enjoy spending time with them that I leaned into it. Many veterans of comics have “started something” in either the trip down to San Diego or in the afterglow on the return trip, and the list of such projects is long and glorious. I’m hoping we can add the Superfan Podcast to that hallowed record.
CXF: In podcasting as much as anything else, duos tend to fall into Odd Couple or straight person/funny person archetypes, whereas trios break down into id/ego/superego. Where does each of you fall on that spectrum? Who’s most likely to go off on a tangent (id), who tends to take the lead on interviews (ego), and who tends to be the most militant about keeping the show on the rails (superego)?
Kristen Simon: That’s frighteningly accurate. From my perspective, and David or Christian can jump in if they want, David Hyde would be id, Christian Gossett would be ego and I would be superego.
David: Well, one of my friends from college once explained to another friend that “sometimes David goes full id, but if you trust him, it all goes well.” This friend knows me well. That’s all I’m going to say.
Gossett: All I know is, all of us can agree that I am no one’s choice for superego.
CXF: How often is there confusion about whether someone is talking to chrisTIAN or krisTEN?
David: Real talk, I often refer to Kris Simon by her full name, even when it’s just the three of us talking. But I almost always call “Gossett” by his surname, because let’s face it: Gossett’s a great name that’s fun to say. Sometimes people’s names just make sense, you know?
Seriously, though, because we record on Zoom, there’s no confusion. Besides, we’re just focused on having the best possible conversation with our guests. After all, we’ve assembled a murderer’s row of comic book creators. Rodney Barnes! Marc Guggenheim! Kelly Sue DeConnick! Matt Kindt! Marjorie Liu! Patrick McDonnell! It’s a privilege to talk with each of them about the things that they love.
CXF: You have host portraits, a logo and a theme song for the podcast. How many takes did each of those go through before they nailed the vibe you were going for? Was one more difficult to settle on than the others?
David: My friend Daniel Shulman is a talented musician. Dan’s played with Garbage and is currently performing in the band The Halloween Jack with Gilby Clarke of Guns N’ Roses, Stephen Perkins of Jane’s Addiction and Eric Dover of Alice Cooper. Seeing Dan play at the Greek with Garbage is one of my favorite LA memories. Anyhow, when the Superfan Podcast started to come into focus, I asked Dan if he was interested in creating a mid-century inspired theme song. He put together an amazing band, Low in the Shag, and delivered a heck of a theme song. He shared the bones of the song before they went into the studio, and we had very, very few notes. We are just thrilled with what they’d come up with. Just wait till you hear Jacob Shulman on saxophone! And the baseline is rad.
Gossett: One of my favorite aspects of the podcast is the idea that all of this is happening at a gathering that has actually achieved “party” status. I’ll clarify. We’ve all been to “parties,” but many of them are really “attempts” at a party, you know what I mean? It’s special when a party actually ascends unto “party” status. You can hear the buzz of conversation in the air. You can hear the melodies of glass and laughter as the perfect playlist carries the evening from one more gathering to party status; in other words, a night you’ll never forget and always hope to return to whenever you get the next invitation. At these kinds of parties, we learn things about ourselves and those we love. We feel changed, as if we’ve caught a glimpse of Olympus. The Superfan Podcast is that kind of party, so in the portraits, I’ve dressed everyone accordingly.
CXF: How did the drinks and dessert recipes enter the picture? Would I be wrong in guessing Kristen based on her answers below?
Kristen: T’was not I! Ha! It was David Hyde. David Hyde is quite a mixologist, he makes delicious and complicated (to me) cocktails as a minor hobby. I believe he threw out the idea of pairing a dessert with the drink, and my eyes must have lit up like a Christmas tree. I was all in.
David: Before we started actually recording episodes, we spent a lot of time brainstorming about things that were adjacent to the podcast, like the drink and dessert recipes, as well as things like ads for things that may or may not actually exist. I don’t want to spoil it, but I will say that fans of Davey Baker’s comics will absolutely want to check out season one of the Superfan Podcast, even though Davey’s not (yet) a guest on the show.
CXF: If each of you was a guest on your own show, what non-comics topic would you want to discuss?
David: This is a great and tough question for me! I’m a superfan of many things: the films of Akira Kurosawa, the novels of Elmore Leonard, the music of the Wu-Tang Clan, the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan, the artist Shag, Showa-Era Godzilla. It’s an eclectic and disparate list, for sure. But after long deliberation, I have to say that it’s my love of baseball, specifically the Boston Red Sox, that I’d want to discuss on the Superfan Podcast.
Why talk about the Sox? It’s the fandom I’m most immersed in day in and day out. I have a Red Sox list on X that I check every morning. During the regular season, I listen to almost every game on WEEI. In the offseason, I check MLB Trade Rumors several times a week. In good times and bad, I’m dialed in. These past few years, as the Sox have floundered in the standings with an aloof and distant front office. I thought I might step away from following the team, but I can’t do it. I’m too invested. This year the Sox traded away my favorite player on the team, Rafael Devers, years after they traded one of my favorite baseball players of all time, Mookie Betts. Would this be the year I stopped following baseball? Reader, it is not. As I write this, I am getting ready to listen to today’s pre-game show.
The Boston Red Sox live in my head rent free, for better and worse.
CXF: David, the Sox are third in the American League East (as of writing), and a common complaint is a lack of depth at pitching. We’re past the All-Star break, so every game is critical. As their fantasy baseball coach, what’s one thing you’d do to guarantee them a ticket to the October dance?
David: The front office would be well advised to bring Kristan Campbell back to The Show. If he’s good enough to bat cleanup in May, he’s good enough to be on the roster in September. Let the kids play!
Gossett: James Cameron. Like so many others, I’ve loved his movies ever since first seeing Terminator at a drive-in when I was 16. I would discuss with him why his movies are different from his competitors, and how great it was to have met him at WETA workshop New Zealand and have him talk to me about my work.
CXF: Christian, you love James Cameron; James Cameron in turn loves deep-sea exploration. If the director of The Abyss and Titanic invited you onto his private submersible to explore the mysteries of the Mariana Trench, what role would you play on his crew?
Gossett: I would take on the role of poet. One whose duty it was to capture in metaphor what it is to dwell deeper into this planet than most will ever go. To remind everyone what a miracle it is that this planet sustains us, and to scold them for taking for granted being born in this beautiful garden. Having been on set since my kindergarten days, I know how to stay out of the way of a working crew. To hear their communication and be in awe of the jargon and verbal systems. Language that is simultaneously a litany of data collection, vehicular navigation and a process of mutual survival.
Kristen: Fine dining. My friend and I find a different high-end steakhouse once a year to celebrate our birthdays and go all out. We’ll split a Tomahawk steak, do a whiskey tasting, you name it. And then I found out two other friends did this as well! With one, we also get a sommelier who pairs wines with each course. With the other, it’s the restaurant of a famous chef. I would talk about how these foodie experiences foster conversation, deepen friendships through shared experiences, and create community.
CXF: Kristen, whiskey, wine or beer: Which do you tend to drink more when unwinding with a comic or manga, and do you consciously pair drink with book?
Kristen: That is a fantastic question! After thinking about it, I’ve discovered that I unconsciously pair drinks with books. If I’m reading a romance or a mystery, then it’s wine. If I’m reading an action/adventure or horror title, then it’s whiskey. It’s rarely beer. I save beer for pizza or taco night.
For more information, follow the Superfan Podcast on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube and visit superfanmedia.net. For behind-the-scenes information, dessert and cocktail recipes, and show notes, follow the Superfan Signal Substack, which will have paid subscriber-only content.
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Dan Grote is the editor and publisher of ComicsXF, having won the site by ritual combat. By day, he’s a newspaper editor, and by night, he’s … also an editor. He co-hosts The ComicsXF Interview Podcast with Matt Lazorwitz. He lives in New Jersey with his wife, two kids and two miniature dachshunds, and his third, fictional son, Peter Paul Winston Wisdom. Follow him @danielpgrote.bsky.social.
