Superstar Comic Book Creators Talk About The Things They Love (That Aren’t Comics) on the All-New Superfan Podcast: "Season 1 Debuts on September 19 with Peabody Award-winning Screenwriter and Producer Rodney Barnes Talking about Stephen King, with Co-Hosts Christian Gossett, David Hyde, and Kristen Simon
(September 19, 2025) Have you ever wondered what inspires and fascinates the writers and artists who create comics and graphic novels? Welcome to the Superfan Podcast, where the people who make the comics you love talk about the things that they love… that aren’t comics. Join co-hosts 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, as they launch an all-new podcast series, where they’ll interview superstar comic book writers and artists about what they’re passionate about — outside of comics.
The Superfan Podcast debuts on September 19 with a conversation with Peabody Award-winning screenwriter and producer Rodney Barnes (Killadelphia) talking about Stephen King. In the pilot episode, Barnes reflects on what makes for a seminal Stephen King story and what the King of Horror’s novels reveal about American life. Barnes also opens up about his own creative journey, which was forever transformed in unexpected ways by his up-close and personal experience on the film The Green Mile, with his favorite novelist.
Season one of the Superfan Podcast includes an all-star line-up of award-winning writers and artists. Acclaimed 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. For each episode, the co-hosts also share a conversation-appropriate dessert recipe, as well as a cocktail and/or mocktail inspired by the interview.
“Comic book writers and artists are often asked the same questions over and over,” said Hyde. "What's exciting for us – and for our guests – is that we’re having a conversation that is freed from the usual promotional constraints. One of the most rewarding parts of the podcast is that we do a lot of preparation and research into the primary topic, but there’s almost always an unexpected rabbit hole that leads to discussing another passion altogether. These are deep dive dialogues — full of passion, memories, and mementos, and a lot of laughter.”
“As co-hosts, we bring decidedly different sensibilities to the Superfan Podcast,” said Kristen Simon. “As a comic book editor, I spend my days unpacking stories, beat by beat. As a publicist, David Hyde is focused on getting a book into the hands of the right journalist and then getting that journalist to ask interesting questions. Concept and Character Design has been Gossett’s specialty for most of his career. Our different backgrounds inform our points of view on the podcast, sometimes in unexpected ways, but what the three of us have in common is that we’re curious people who really enjoy each other’s company, and that sense of curiosity is central to the podcast.”
Gossett was the writer, artist, and creator of the hit Image Comics series The Red Star before working on movies for George Lucas, Peter Jackson, and Tim Burton, and directing television episodes for the CW network. He recently provided story art for Netflix’s Twilight of the Gods and the Disney+ original animated series Eyes of Wakanda. He is, arguably, best known for his radical concept drawing of a double-bladed lightsaber, which was personally approved by George Lucas and was later made famous as Darth Maul's signature weapon. For season one of the Superfan Podcast, he has drawn portraits of each of the guests.
“The guest portraits are about trying to capture the moment and feel of our freewheeling conversations,” said Gossett. “I’m less interested in nailing an exact likeness, per se, than I am in capturing the vibe. This is a podcast about joy and the excitement that comes from being a fan, and we want to celebrate that feeling – on the show, with the portraits, with the mid-century inspired logo, and with the Superfan theme song.”
The Superfan Podcast theme song is performed by the band Low in the Shag, featuring Daniel Shulman on bass, Sasha Brustinov on keyboards, Ziv Fisher on drums, Eric Garcia on guitar, Jacob Shulman on saxophone, and Derek Zimmerman on percussion. The song was written by Daniel Shulman, who has played bass for Garbage and is currently performing with The Halloween Jack, alongside Gilby Clarke (Guns N' Roses), Stephen Perkins (Jane’s Addiction), and Eric Dover (Alice Cooper).
The Superfan Podcast is a production of Superfan Media. Season One’s episodes have been edited by Bryant Dillon with production help by Fanbase Press, who are title sponsors of Season One’s episodes. The Superfan Podcast logo is designed by Criswell Lappin, former Creative Director of the legendary Metropolis Magazine, whose design work can be seen at criswelllappin.com.
“We’ve been quietly working on the podcast for quite some time, bringing together an incredible group of talented people,” said Hyde. “Our goal from day one is to create something unique, something fun and joyous. The idea is that these might be the conversations you’d overhear at a great party – and everyone’s invited."
You can listen to the Superfan Podcast via:
For more information, follow the Superfan Podcast on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagra
---
25TH ANNUAL SCREAMFEST® HORROR FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES FIRST WAVE 2025 LINEUP: "Screamfest® Horror Film Festival, the largest and longest-running horror festival in the United States, today unveiled the first wave of competitive features and shorts for its 25th edition. Running October 7–16, 2025 at the TCL Chinese Theatre, the festival invites horror fans to experience twisted tales and terrifying films on the big screen. Tickets will be available soon at screamfestla.com.
Dubbed the “Sundance of Horror,” Screamfest® showcases cutting-edge work from independent filmmakers worldwide. Last year’s standouts—including ICK (Fathom), Cold Wallet (WellGO USA) and In Our Blood (Utopia)—all secured distribution after their festival debuts. NYT Times named Screamfest® one of the “5 Halloween Festivals Worth Traveling For.”
“We’re excited to welcome horror fans back to Screamfest for fresh frights from around the world as we proudly celebrate our 25th edition ” stated festival founder Rachel Belofsky.
Screamfest will also feature an exclusive gameplay screening of Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival, the highly anticipated single-player survival horror action game from Saber Interactive. Set in the terrifying world of the iconic Hellraiser franchise, the game puts players face-to-face with the legendary Pinhead—played once again by Doug Bradley, returning to the role for the first time in nearly 20 years. This marks the first-ever Hellraiser video game, currently in development for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam. Don’t miss your chance to witness the horror reborn!
World Premieres
North American Premieres
U.S. Premieres
West Coast Premieres
Los Angeles Premieres
Notable Shorts
Formed in August 2001 by film producer Rachel Belofsky, Screamfest® Horror Film Festival is a female-run 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that gives filmmakers and screenwriters in the horror and science fiction genres a venue to have their work showcased in the film industry."
For more information or the latest news, visit screamfestla.com
---
Tricks and Treats Galore Await This Halloween in the Spine-Tingling Stories of John Carpenter’s Tales for a HalloweeNight Vol. 11: "This Halloween, lock the doors, turn down the lights and enter a dark and demented realm in which anything can happen — and almost certainly will — as Storm King Comics presents the 11th annual volume of JOHN CARPENTER’S TALES FOR A HALLOWEENIGHT.
Debuting October 13 in comic shops, bookstores and from the Storm King Comics website, JOHN CARPENTER’S TALES FOR A HALLOWEENIGHT offers an incredible collection of short tales of terror, the unexpected and the macabre from some of the best writers and animators working in comics and graphic novels today.
Featuring a haunting cover by Tim Bradstreet opens with “Cathedral,” a grisly tale of a violent, never-before-encountered entity written by John Carpenter. The volume also features a nostalgic nightmare set in 1987, a dread-laden return to the turn of the 20th century, a darkly disturbing tale of current events, plus stories of monsters, werewolves and cursed creatures. As a bonus, JOHN CARPENTER’S TALES FOR A HALLOWEENIGHT VOL. 11 also features a section of full-page, standalone “pinups” filled with wild and weird imaginings.
Dedicated to actor Peter Jason, who appeared in multiple movies directed by John Carpenter and was a close friend of both Carpenter and King, JOHN CARPENTER’S TALES FOR A HALLOWEENIGHT VOL. 11 will make its retail debut during New York Comic-Con, where a variant cover by illustrator Cat Staggs will be available for purchase.
“The terrors we can imagine are nothing compared to the dreadful realities we’ve actually lived through since last Halloween, but there’s one thing I’ve always known is true: horror heals,” said Sandy King, founder and editor of Storm King Comics. “These stories let our minds wander into a land where anything is possible, almost everything is frightful, and in which our worst fears can be realized — safely, with a healthy dose of humor. This year’s lineup is so strong, and we’re sure fans of horror will love what they find in the pages of this graphic novel.”
JOHN CARPENTER’S TALES FOR A HALLOWEENIGHT VOL. 11 joins the all-new, visually arresting BLOOD OF THE TAKEN Book 2: NEXT OF KIN on the Storm King Comics fall lineup. That graphic novel by writer and illustrator Sian Mandrake is available for purchase now.
“This has been an incredible year for Storm King Comics,” King said. “We’ve premiered the first-ever project to bring together John Carpenter and George A. Romero’s names, the beautiful adaptation of The Amusement Park. We’ve seen the release of Death Mask Vol. 2: Ichor Azure, a hard-edged crime thriller. And we greeted thousands of new fans by making our appearance at Midsummer Scream. It will be hard to top this — but that’s what we’re hoping to do in 2026, and it all begins with our annual celebration of the Halloween season.”
JOHN CARPENTER’S TALES FOR A HALLOWEENIGHT VOL. 11 will be available in comics shops (findyourcomicstore.com) and from Storm King Comics (www.StormKingComics.com) on October 13. The newest horror anthology will also be available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, and local bookstores (bookshop.org). Digital copies can be purchased from Global Comix."
JOHN CARPENTER’S
TALES FOR A HALLOWEENIGHT, Vol. 11
After more than a decade as a consultant in the tech and entertainment industries, Jonathan James launched Daily Dead in 2010 to share his passion for horror entertainment. He takes immense pride in Daily Dead's talented team of writers, who work tirelessly to explore and celebrate horror as a respected art form capable of telling complex, character-driven stories with deep emotional and cultural impact.
Over the course of his career, Jonathan has written more than 10,000 articles and hosted panels at major conventions, including New York Comic Con and San Diego Comic-Con. He has also been consulted as an expert on horror and pop culture, offering his insights on horror history and the latest trends through media outlets, radio stations, film festivals, and fan conventions.
After more than a decade as a consultant in the tech and entertainment industries, Jonathan James launched Daily Dead in 2010 to share his passion for horror entertainment. He takes immense pride in Daily Dead's talented team of writers, who work tirelessly to explore and celebrate horror as a respected art form capable of telling complex, character-driven stories with deep emotional and cultural impact.
Over the course of his career, Jonathan has written more than 10,000 articles and hosted panels at major conventions, including New York Comic Con and San Diego Comic-Con. He has also been consulted as an expert on horror and pop culture, offering his insights on horror history and the latest trends through media outlets, radio stations, film festivals, and fan conventions.
![[Comic-Con 2025] Interview: Michael Giacchino Talks Marvel’s WEREWOLF BY NIGHT: BLOOD MOON and Why He Loves Classic Monsters](https://dailydead.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Werewolf-1000-b-326x150.jpg)
![[Editorial] ANNIHILATION (2018): The Algorithm of Natural Selection Just Unfollowed You](https://dailydead.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Annihilation-1000-180x83.jpg)
