This little roundtable was recorded (somewhat covertly) in an empty panel room at Spectrum Live 2. I thought it would be fun to discuss comic book cover art, so I hit up our friend Mark Chiarello (DC Comics Art Director) about joining us on the mics. He said sure, but suggested we ask another friend, George Pratt (The Art Department), to sit in as well. George said he would love to, and well, we did it.

The questions were these: What makes a good comic book cover? How have they changed over the many decades from the Golden Age up to current day? At what point did comic publishers decide to really focus on the cover image as a tool to get fans to buy their books? And who are some of the all-time greats at creating the quintessential comic book cover? (Ah, you'll have to listen in to find out the answers, true believers!)

Our thanks to George and Mark for jumping in the fray with us. They are both big fanboys so it didn't take much wrangling. And special thanks to Spectrum Live for "loaning" us (cough, cough) the use of one of their rooms. 'Preciate you, Cathy and Arnie!

**WARNING: THE AUDIO ON THIS EPISODE HAS SOME ISSUES. MY MIC WASN'T PLUGGED IN PROPERLY, SO MY VOICE SOUNDS FAR AWAY. APOLOGIES UP FRONT, 'NATION! IT WAS ALL ON ME, NOT THE OTHER GUYS.

- SWAiN

To be honest, illustrator and creature designer Terryl Whitlatch was someone that I was absolutely unfamiliar with prior to hosting her panel on the main stage at Spectrum Fantastic Art Live 2. The first time that I had heard her name was when she was named a Special Guest on the Spectrum website.  

Shame on me.

However, in my preparation for the panel, I found her work to be fascinating and I bubbled over with questions to ask. I and the panel audience learned about her life-long passion for animals both real and imagined, how she creates the phyisiology of fantastic creatures for film and her involvement with Star Wars: The Phantom Menace and the creation of Jar-Jar Binks. Plus we learn about her creator-owned book The Katurran Odyssey with writer David Michael Wieger.

A big thanks to Terryl for being a delight and enlightening me on a subject that I knew nothing about and a huge thanks to the attendees for their excellent questions.

- ADRiAN

**More audio to come from Spectrum Live 2. Stay tuned!

I like this young man right here. This young man invented the phrase: "Oh no, you didn't!" He is none other than Peter de Sève, and he was one of the Special Guests at Spectrum Fantastic Art Live 2.

We spoke with Peter (or Pete, as he allowed me to call him) on the podcast back in October of 2010. As a character designer, he was fresh off of Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs and well into the promo tour for his recently-released sketch book, A Sketchy Past: The Art of Peter de Sève. I had a copy of said sketch book and loved it, so Dwight and I called him up and we had a lively and robust chat. Click here to check out the tomfoolery.

Fast forward to May of 2013 and Spectrum Live 2. I not only got to meet Peter in person, but I also moderated the panel with him from the SFAL main stage. I found him to be as charming and jovial in person as he was during our phone interview. Lucky moi.

Thanks to de Sève for being such an entertaining guest, thanks to the attendees for their presence and great questions, and thanks to you all for listening in today.

And, oh — Darla lives!

- SWAiN

Tara McPherson: Illustrator. Designer. Entrepreneur. Bass player. Mom. (And certainly not in that order!)

Tara was also one the very special guests at Spectrum Fantastic Art Live 2 a few weeks ago. As expected, I had crazy fun at the event and she was one of the reasons why. Dwight and I had met her once before at a Dragon*Con, but never got the chance to chat with her on-mic. Well, SFAL fixed all that.

McPherson took to the main stage on Saturday morning and the audience ate her up. She was upbeat, charming and ready to go. Recommended for your ears, 'Nation!

- SWAiN

In this age of perpetual hyperbole, the word 'legend' gets thrown around a lot. If you last, you're a legend. If you've done great work over the years, you're a legend. If your name has been attached to big name projects, you're a legend. It can (and does) get old.

However, in a career spanning over thirty years, Marvel writer-editor Ralph Macchio has done all the things mentioned above and more. Without question, he has earned the title 'legend'.

Ralph as a part-time writer and on-staff editor has touched nearly every character in the Marvel Universe. He was in the Bullpen for all of Frank Miller's classic runs on Daredevil (including the Born Again series with artist David Mazzucchelli). He gave young talents like Bill Sienkiewicz, John Romita, Jr., and Greg Capullo their first big breaks in comics. In 2000, he was put in charge of the entire Ultimates line at the request of Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada. And he also oversaw the launch of Marvel's adaptation of Stephen King's The Dark Tower and The Stand novels in 2007.

As a writer, Macchio crafted the Project: Pegasus Saga in Marvel Two-In-One, and also had stints putting his pen to titles like The Mighty Thor and The Avengers.

Our chat with Macchio is a long one, but it needed to be. We had plenty to ask and we didn't want to rush the man. As they say in his business, he had a story to tell. As a matter of fact, he had plenty.

Have fun listening in, 'Nation. 

- SWAiN

**A big super-sized thanks to our pal Skottie Young for hooking us up with Ralph!

Willaim Wray is a trip. Let me say that up front. He's a former comic book artist, former animator, former cartoonist, and present-day fine artist; but turns out his real superpower is that of storyteller. And his stories will trip you out.

If his name sounds familiar, it's because Wray went by "Bill Wray" back in his commercial art days. As Bill, he worked for animation houses like Spumco and Filmation, drew comics for companies like Marvel and Dark Horse, and was the one-man creative force behind Monroe, a strip he did for MAD magazine. Monroe ran in over 100 issues of MAD before a frustrated BIll finally hit the ejector button.

He also co-created Hellboy Junior in 1997 with his friend, writer-artist Mike Mignola. The series was a one-shot, but is fondly remembered by fans of the Anung un Rama universe.

During our conversation, Wray dropped a few names, but not at all in the douchey way. When one has had as varied a career path as him, one is bound to have run into everybody: Dave Stevens, Doug Wildey, Howard Chaykin, John Kricfaluci, Roy Thomas, Al Williamson, Tony Dezuniga, Alfredo Alcala, Jack Kirby, Ashley Wood, etc. Exhausting, right?

We jumped on board the Bill Train and held on for dear life as he regaled us with tales that will curl your hair. And he also shared some insights into his life now as a fine artist; a pusuit he finds richly satisfying, but replete with its own unique challenges.

Oh, and please pick up a copy of Wray's new art book from Brandstudio Press called Monolith. It's his second book with Brandstudio and looks to be 48 pages of full-color, full-bleed, urban landscape awesomeness!

Thanks for checking out the interview. William Wray was a hoot. And a trip.

- SWAiN

***Bill's blog.

I think we got us a series, y'all. Welcome to our third Bookshelf Babble-On!

If you haven't listened to our previous installments, the premise of this series is this: We go to our respective bookshelves, pick a book we like, and try not to bore everybody for the next hour. It's that simple.

Dwight's choice for this episode was an old favorite in terms of the artist: Luis Royo's "Third Millennium". One part art book, one part narrative, and all parts apocalyptic; Royo's hauntingly beautiful art details the story of a physically deteriorating man who replaces his dead body parts with mechanical ones. It also explores the untraditional romance he has with the woman he pines for with the ultimate of contrasts: flesh against metal.

Dwight has mentioned Royo's name fondly on this podcast and in person, so it was fun hearing him officially wax poetic on the pathos within one of Luis' stories.

My pick was "Sharaz-de: Tales from the Arabian Nights" by the late Sergio Toppi. As most know, Toppi passed away last year. And being a relatively new fan, I was determined to get one of his books on my bookshelf sooner rather than later. So, when Archaia Entertainment announced that they were putting out an English language edition of "Sharaz-de", let's just say that like Marcellus Wallace: "I was on the motherf*cker, Jules".

The story is a classic tale of evil spirits, despotic kings and supernatural intrigue, and it is gorgeous to behold. If you don't know Toppi's work, you ought to be ashamed — ashamed, I say!

Adrian's book was a curve ball, folks. You do a podcast with a guy for a few years and you think you know him. Not so much. "The Adventures of Jodelle" by Guy Peellaert and Pierre Bartier is as pop art as pop art can be. And who knew Adrian really dug that stuff?! (Not us.)

Though "Jodelle" has been a sensation in Europe for decades, Peellaert wasn't even a comic book artist when he created it. He was a Belgium advertising dropout who wanted to try comics as another medium of expression. Rumor has it, Peellaert often made up the story page-by-page as he drew it. 

"The Adventures of Jodelle" is an sexy, anachronistic romp filled with the juicy visuals and aesthetic of the emerging counter-culture of the mid-1960s. And to be even more subversive, Peellaert appropriated the visage of real-life French teen idol Sylvie Vartan as his heroine, Jodelle.

Also, 'Jodelle' was first run in the French magazine Hara-Kiri, which was also home to several early efforts of Moebius (Jean Giraud)!

Thanks for checking out another Babble-On, 'Nation. We appreciate the ears. More interviews and roundtables a-coming!

- SWAiN

Jean Giraud.

Moebius.  

Two names existing as a monolith of singular vision. A vision that can conjure tales of gunfighters riding the arid trails of the Old West, to alternate worlds with towering mega-cities, to the farthest expanse of the imagination.

And beyond.

When Jean Giraud aka Moebius died a year ago, social media amongst his fans went nuts! It is not hyperbole to say that Giraud was one of the few living artists whose work was universally admired and loved by everyone.

He is missed.

To mark the anniversary of his passing (March 10, 2012), we took an hour to remember Moebius. Words could hardly encapsulate the breadth of this career, though we do try. Thanks for stopping by and taking a listen.

- ADRiAN

**In honor of Blueberry, we threw an Easter egg at the end of this one discussing our favorite westerns. Stay til the end credits roll, 'Nation!

With a career spanning over three decades, John Romita, Jr. has come to be known as "Mr. Marvel" or simply "JRJR". Like his father, John Romita, Sr., his name is practically synomynous with Marvel Comics as he has depicted nearly every character in the company's universe.

With a style typified by solid storytelling and powerful visuals, JRJR puts the 'super' in super-heroes. He is as adept at illustrating tales of street-level crimes as he is with capturing the majesty of galaxy-spanning demigods. 

Romita, Jr. has been a personal favorite of mine since my first issue of his Iron Man run (#258, to be exact). I got it as part of a 3-for-$2 grab bag when I was a young teen. Shortly thereafter, I started collecting anything I could find of his: Uncanny X-Men, Daredevil, Punisher War Zone, Daredevil: Man Without Fear, and of course, Amazing Spider-Man.

But JRJR's success and longevity have not come without joys and pains as we discover in our conversation. He details his early career wrought with accusations of nepotism, and his mission to establish his own artistic identity apart from that of his legendary dad.

John also regales us with hilarious stories of the 1980s-era Marvel bullpen and him being the first (and only) Marvel "Hunk of the Month". And he speaks warmly of his collaborations with writers Frank Miller, Ann Nocenti and Mark Millar, as well as inkers Al Williamson and Klaus Janson.

- ADRiAN

* Special thanks to our friend Warren Drummond for helping make this interview possible.

In a marketplace where digital is increasingly becoming the production standard for book covers and sci-fi/fantasy art, there are artists still dedicated to bringing fantastical visions to life with oil-to-canvas.

One of those artists is Dan Dos Santos!

In our conversation, we discuss working within the ever-changing field of sci-fi/fantasy art, his mentorship with illustrator Steven Stroud, love of comics, and the virtues of hard work instilled in him by his parents. Dan also relates his founding of the Muddy Colors blog and what the future may hold for it.

Dos Santos has worked for clients such as Disney, Universal Studios, Scholastic Books and Wizards of the Coast, and can be found online at dandossantos.com. He posts regularly on the aforementioned Muddy Colors blog as well, along with his fellow contributors.

- ADRiAN