IDEAS DON'T BLEED episode fifty-five | Brian Michael Bendis, part one

WELCOME BACK TO IDEAS DON’T BLEED!

This week, we’re joined by Brian Michael Bendis (Ultimate Spider-Man / Powers) as we discuss his comics origins, the cultural impact of Miles Morales, his work through Jinxworld and Dark Horse including the upcoming Masterpiece, and more!

IDB is an all-new weekly podcast presented by Ashcan Press and featuring Matthew Rosenberg, the Supple Boiz, and wonderful guests from the world of comic books!

Our theme song is “Where’s the Poison” by Summer People.

Enjoy!

---

Hello again!

This is maybe the episode I’ve been most excited to make since we started this show. I could speak at great length about what the work of Brian Michael Bendis means to me, how I wouldn’t be making comics or maybe even still reading comics if it wasn’t for POWERS, JINX, GOLDFISH, TORSO, DAREDEVIL, NEW AVENGERS, and ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN. But Brian is a modest man and really does not want me to talk about the incredible influence he has had on not just me, but a whole generation of creators and fans. So I won’t mention it and will just say that this was the best.

But this isn’t just our standard episode of IDEAS DON’T BLEED, it is a crossover over with the mighty JINXWORLD and their always informative MASTER CLASS series. We wanted to make something that meets the needs of both our goofy-ass podcast and Brian’s thoughtful and informative lessons. I think we found a happy middle ground where this is the most interesting and thought provoking episode of IDB we’ll ever make, and the most inane Master Class they’ll ever make. Everybody wins!

Obviously if you have not been subscribed to Brian’s brilliant Jinxworld Substack you have been completely missing out on great new comics, life-changing lessons on making your own comics, and behind the scenes looks at comics from one of the true modern masters, Mr. Brian Michael Bendis.

So give our show a listen, sign up for the amazing Jinxworld, and have the best week of your life.

It’s a new month, which means new releases from yours truly.

THE JOKER #11 is our penultimate issue! And if you like explosions, boy is this the issue for you. Lots of stuff blowing up.

RED HOOD: GOTHAM WAR #2 is our ultimate issue! And if you like seeing Red Hood have a hard time, boy is this the issue for you. Lots of stuff falling apart for him.

And lastly, WHAT’S THE FURTHEST PLACE FROM HERE? #15 is our… Well, I don’t have a name for it. It’s our fifteenth issue! But it’s a really good one. Spend some time with Mallory, Prufrock, Merrill, and the dog. There’s some excitement, there’s some heartbreak, and there’s some really weird stuff.

We have very gorgeous covers by Tyler Boss and Carson Thorn. And then the fine creators of THE WALKING DEAD allowed us to make a little tribute cover to their book. As someone who read every single issue and watched every episode, I got such a huge thrill out of this. Huge thanks to Robert, Charlie, and all the TWD folks. And make sure you’re reading the amazing VOID RIVALS and DAMN THEM ALL. Both are pretty brilliant.

This issue of WHAT’S THE FURTHEST PLACE FROM HERE? is on Final Order Cutoff today, so, as always, if you want a copy please let your local comic shop know. And if you want The Walking Dead cover you should extra special let your local shop know because collector’s will be snatching those up

But it’s not just final order cutoff for our little post-apocalyptic funnybook today. The amazing team of Gerry Duggan and David O’Sullivan have a new, weird, and super fun book coming out from the fine folks at Image Comics at the end of the month as well. Look, they made a handy graphic for you to remember to order it today.

I was racking my brain trying to figure out how to describe this book and then I realized Gerry doesn’t pay me enough to do that. So I’ll let them describe it, and all I will say is this book is wildly fun and you deserve some fun in your life.

GERRY DUGGAN & DAVID O'SULLIVAN of ANALOG fame reteam on the perfect comic book to celebrate Halloween.
It's the first appearance of HECTOR SMALLEY, a guitar tech known as THE PALADIN OF AXES. He's working for the world's biggest rock band, and when he and the whole band are killed in a plane crash, it's unexpectedly just the beginning of his bad times.
It's a sad tale of working yourself to death—literally. Equal parts Evil Dead and Time Bandits, this horror comedy will put a smile on your face on one page and punch it off on the page turn. Throw your horns in the air for THE PALADIN OF AXES!

There. That sounds good, right? Call, text, message, pop-in, or order a copy from your favorite comic shop today.

---

And that’s it for me. Huge thanks to Brian for taking the time to chat. And make sure you all come back next week for Part II.

Stay safe. Take care of each other. Please don’t tell me if I say a lot of stupid stuff on this episode.

-Matthew Rosenberg

NYC 10/2/23