IDEAS DON'T BLEED episode one hundred one | James Asmus, part one

WELCOME BACK TO IDEAS DON’T BLEED!

This week, we’re joined by James Asmus (Rick and Morty / Quantum and Woody) as we discuss his comics origins, making a point through comedy in comics, his upcoming Dark Horse series Survival Street: The Radical Left, 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!

Hi again.

Here we are in our hundreds. It doesn’t feel that different, tbh. I guess they say you don’t learn anything in your first 100 podcasts, so we’ll see how the next hundred goes. But we’re off to a great start with old friend and wonderful writer James Asmus. I’ve known James for years. We actually met when he bought one of my self published comics at a show and came back later to tell me he really enjoyed it. I can’t think of a higher compliment that I can give him than saying he has great taste, but I’ll try.

I have 2 superhero posters in my home. One is a Spider-Man poster signed to me by Stan Lee, but that’s a story for another time. The other is a panel from a James Asmus comic that was turned into a poster for the NPR show THIS AMERICAN LIFE and I treasure it. It’s a funny panel, from a weird and wonderful X-Men story, that in some of the most impressive targeted marketing ever created, was turned into a promo piece for my favorite radio show of all time. And I love it not only because it has Mike Allred art, but it reminds me of my friend James. He is constantly doing work that manages to blow me away with how funny it is, how unexpected and clever it is, how thoughtful and cool it is. In short his work feels like it was made with to appeal to my exact sensibilities.

I truly loved his series SURVIVAL STREET and was blown away by the balance of humor, social commentary, and heart. So when I heard it was coming back I knew I’d have to ask him to come on our little show to discuss it, and his other work, and other stuff. So here we are. I hope you dig it half as much as I did, and I hope you tell your local comic shop you need a copy of SURVIVAL STREET: THE RADICAL LEFT.

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And it wouldn’t be a new week without a new old episode up on our Youtube page. You all subscribed, right? Awesome. Thanks. I really appreciate it.

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I fucking know you’re lying because there are thousands of subscribers to this newsletter and like 11 to our Youtube page. It takes no time, it helps us find new listeners, and… look, I can’t really do this. I don’t actually care that much if you subscribe. Griffin takes the time to update the Youtube page and I honestly don’t know if it takes him 4 minutes or 10 hours. But out of respect for his time I have to urge you to subscribe. So if it’s your thing, go for it by clicking here.

Anyway, this week is Part II with my 4 KIDS WALK INTO A BANK / WHAT’S THE FURTHEST PLACE FROM HERE? partner Tyler Boss. He’s funny and charming and I like to annoy him. It either makes for a great or horrible listen. Who can say?

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In other news, thanks to everyone who picked up DC VS. VAMPIRES: WORLD WAR V #1. Me, Otto, and the whole team really appreciate it. If you’re still on the fence or if you just want to know a bit more, I chatted with Liam over at Comic Frontier about the series and our vicious little bastard of a protagonist/antagonist.

If you’d like to read the interview, here ya go.

If you haven’t checked out Comic Frontier it is a great comic news/review/interview site that not only works like a newsletter (a medium we are big fans of) but it is also reader funded. So you can read and subscribe for free or pledge some money to support good comics journalism. Subscribe away folks.

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Speaking of DC VS VAMPIRES, I had a very fun signing with the folks at Midtown Comics last week. And what do those wonderful folks do this week? They put a bunch of my books on sale for you all to enjoy. So if you’ve been looking to read some stuff I wrote but would rather it was cheaper, you can grab some really nice collected editions at 50% off! The sale ends today though so act fast.

The elegantly named BATMAN: SHADOWS OF THE BAT: HOUSE OF GOTHAM hardcover, or BATMAN: SOB-HOG as nobody likes me to call it, is one of my favorite books I’ve ever written. Drawn by Fernando Blanco and colored by Jordie Bellaire, who both went on to do a little comic called W0RLDTR33, this is a gorgeous book. Telling the story of a little kid who fell through the cracks of Gotham and landed in its psychotic underbelly, it follows his life through many prominent moments in Batman’s history. If that sounds cool to you, and it should, grab a copy today. I don’t think they’re making a paperback so when these are gone they’re gone forever.

The DC VS VAMPIRES vol. 1 hardcover is also 50% off. Yes, there is a really nice paperback out now, but who doesn’t love a hardcover? You know the deal. Heroes and villains, vampires and humans, a guy uses a blender in a horrible way. This collects the first 6 issues, so grab a copy and see what I’m always talking about on here.

The very large JOKER: PUZZLEBOX hardcover is also 50% off. This collects all 14 chapters, plus the bonus short stories that we did. A very weird, very fun story about a murder investigation told from the P.O.V. of the world’s least reliable narrator- The Joker. As you can see from the credits, the amazing Jesús Merino tells our framework story, but we have a ton of brilliant guest artists come in like Josh Hixson (THE DEVIANT), Chris Mooneyham (G.I. JOE), Juni Ba (THE BOY WONDER), Dani (COFFIN BOUND), Freddie E. Williams II (BATMAN/TMNT) and a ton more. Even if you don’t like The Joker, or mysteries, or me, you should still buy it for the art.

And lastly the WE CAN NEVER GO HOME paperback is on sale too. The book is normally only $10, so you can grab it for a $5. Hard to argue with that. 5 issues of teenagers with superpowers on the run. My first creator owned book, and as many of you indelicately remind me, maybe my best book. Grab a copy for yourself and one for your friend. It’s cheaper than a cup of coffee.

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That’s it for me.

Stay safe. Take care of each other. Free Griffin!

-Matthew Rosenberg

NYC 8/20/24