#John Siuntres

[thereasonsimbroke]

John Siuntres, host of the #WordBalloon podcast, didn't mince words this week when he slammed filmmaker Kevin Smith, saying, "I've lost a lot of respect for #KevinSmith... Dude, you suck. Nobody can trust your taste anymore because you like everything, whether it's good or crap."

Siuntres criticized Smith's handling of interviews, particularly referencing Smith's reluctance to air an interview with director #JoshTrank following the release of the ill-fated #FantasticFour reboot.

Siuntres accused Smith of being too entangled in the hype machine and lacking discernment in his praise, suggesting that Smith's tendency to praise everything undermines his credibility as a critic.

[ufonaut]

so. the word balloon podcast. if anybody missed tim sheridan's live stream last night, then i wholeheartedly recommend going to check out his and artist cian tormey's stream with popverse from a little while back - it's a fantastic insight into the upcoming alan scott: the green lantern six issue miniseries, it's got some very intriguing interior page previews, and more importantly it's a sincere celebration of dc's earliest canonically gay character getting his first solo book since 1949. last night's word balloon episode, on the other hand, is downright humiliating.

this isn't anything more than a deranged little rant on my very own blog but i can't believe the single most prestigious comic book podcast (if such a thing exists), and certainly the longest running one (eighteen years!), legitimately invited a discussion about alan scott as official promo for this book and then made me watch a gay man practically forced to justify himself live on camera and explain over and over again that yes, it's possible for people to come out of the closet late in life and no, gay people not being open about their sexuality from day one isn't a threat against you to a homophobic host that kept calling being gay a 'lifestyle choice'. i mean, hell, give tim sheridan a nobel peace prize because i don't know anybody who would've been able to handle this with as much grace and dignity as he did but i can't help but notice that straight writers like tom taylor (among many others) were never interrogated to this personal of a degree during the media cycle of their respective books. crazy thing to witness live, and crazier that word balloon host john siuntres genuinely found any of this appropriate to ask.

at the end of the day, i suppose it's not all that bad of a conversation to have had because its left us with direct & firm answers to all the bullshit straight fans have been asking since alan came out but i really don't think it should've happened at all, and certainly not live.

if you missed it (lucky!), the most important revelations -- that hadn't been previously discussed in the much better popverse stream -- are tim's belief that alan scott has been gaycoded since his earliest days in all american comics 1939 #16 (which is entirely true!), the upcoming focus on alan feeling alienated from the jsa (which is again entirely canon and previously unexplored!), and the discussion of watchmen's hooded justice and captain metropolis as one of the inspirations behind the book.

now that last one, that's huge to me - capt metro & hj have long been the only 1940s gay couple in comics and as far as im concerned one of the best written gay couples in general!

but that's another post. suffice to say, there's a lot of excitement coming even if im sure we'll all deal with a horrific wave of homophobia on the way there.

[graphicpolicy]

Diversity Comic Con Focuses its Programming for Aspiring Comic Writers and Artists #Comics #ComicBooks #DiversityComicCon What happens when you let educators run a comic con? It becomes as much about learning something new as much as it's about celebrating comics.

[biggoonie]

No Plan B: The Art of Michael Avon Oeming HC

Michael Avon Oeming (W/A/Cover) On sale Aug 16 • FC, 184 pages • $39.99 • HC, 9″ x 12″ Michael Avon Oeming never prepared for any way to make a living other than drawing. Now the cocreator of Powers, United States of Murder Inc., Takio, Mice Templar, and more offers an in-depth look into his artistic archives, the creative process, and a career that has touched every corner of the comics industry over the last thirty years. This book also features an interview with John Siuntres of the Word Balloon podcast about long-term creative partnerships and explores the secrets of thriving through the ups and downs of the comics industry. Previously unpublished artwork includes whole pages from Powers, The Victories, and other series, as well as collaborations with Mike Mignola, Eric Powell, Kevin Smith, Douglas Rushkoff, Gerard Way, and video-game developer Valve.

[gorogues]

Potential spoilers for the Harley Quinn TV series!

So remember this post, in which @theworrierqueen informed us about Lisa potentially appearing as Kite Man’s new girlfriend in next season of the Harley Quinn animated series.  

I found a Zoom interview online which mentioned her again, although it seems like she’s still very much an idea rather than a sure thing at this point.  The convo about Lisa starts at roughly 43:25.

Patrick Schumacker: "And I absolutely would love to see what would happen if he found a new partner...we kind of, we're just like spitballing who in the DC world would be a fun sort of like..."

John Siuntres: "--complement--"

Patrick Schumacker: "Yeah, like who's the female complement to Kite Man, really.  And at one point Golden Glider came up -- just an idea that their powers, and seeing them flying through the air and she's got her skates on and he's got his kite and like.  And that she's, maybe she's as sort of ditzy as he is...you know, maybe that's something.  MAYBE.  Big maybe."

[shadow27]

"Well, the thing is they were borrowing my Superman costume but it was only to get (Brandon Routh) in, as his version of Superman and the truth of the matter was they must not have been able or willing to do a deal based upon the production he was part of with Brian Singer. Presumably that they didn't want to have to pay out to them."

"So instead I got screwed. They didn't pay me or Mark (Waid) … I don't see any money for the Wonder Woman movie using my armour or… I designed Batwoman for heaven sakes, and she's got a whole damn show."

[uncomicmas]

Este viernes 23 de Octubre a las 5 PM (#NY) EST / 2PM PST (#LA) @og_axel_alonso @cullenbunn Kaare Andrews @nelsonblakeii @ethanjsacks y @talajicd van a estar en @baltimorecomiccon en vivo hablando de @awastudiosofficial / @upshotstudiosofficial con el moderador John Siuntres. . . Fuente @upshotstudiosofficial . . #comiccon #cosplay #cosplayer #comics #marvel #cosplayersofinstagram #dccomics #cosplayers #comicbooks #comic #anime #cosplaygirl #art #marvelcomics #cosplayphotography #dc #batman #costume #starwars #spiderman #comicbook #comicart #cosplaying #sdcc #geek #nycc #photography #avengers https://www.instagram.com/p/CGlL9ArHpHO/?igshid=1vvp7qjnn8d3x

[comicmix]

Ed Catto: Podcasts… and an Enduring Favorite

Ed Catto: Podcasts… and an Enduring Favorite

I’ve been driving a lot more since my move to the Finger Lakes and I’ve been trying to use my time wisely. For music, I catch up on Pete Fornatale’s Mixed Bag from WFUV and ComicMix’s own Mike Gold’s Weird Sounds Inside the Gold Mind from The Point Radio. Both offer great tunes and insightful, thoughtful commentary. And for thoughtful discussion, I’ve been really enjoying John Siuntres’s Word…

[dr-archeville]

At this year’s TerrifiCon in Connecticut, Marvel Comics’ recently-appointed Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski sat down with comics writers Nick Spencer and Charles Soule, and reporter John Siuntres, to talk about the publishing company’s future.

Over the course of their conversation, which you can listen to here, Cebulski enthusiastically spoke at length about new developments on Marvel’s horizon, like the Fantastic Four’s return to prominence and Chris Claremont’s upcoming return to the X-Men.  But when asked specifically about the tonal direction Cebulski plans to take Marvel’s stories, the editor shifted into a much more corporate and perplexing posture.

One audience member in attendance for the panel made a point of asking —  given Marvel’s extensive history dealing with and commentating on politics and social issues in the pages of its comics — what kind of messages the company wants to tell people today.  Cebulski took a moment before responding with a point about how comics can’t get “too deep” into politics:

“Marvel has always been, as Stan [Lee] always said, ‘the world outside our window.’  It’s the reflection of the modern times that we live in. Marvel has never shied away from that, around what happened with 9/11 or what we were doing with Secret Empire.  And we’re going to continue that tradition.  There are a couple of [upcoming issues] that are going to reflect things that are going on in the real world.

However, one of the things I want to make sure is when we do tell these stories — I don’t know how to put this in the right way — they still have to be entertainment.  If we want to see the real world, we can turn on CNN, we can turn on the TV, we can pick up a newspaper and see what’s going on there.  And yes, it’s our responsibility as a comic book publisher, especially Marvel, given the history that we have, to reflect those times, but they still have to be fun.

We can’t get too deep into the politics.  And the characters can take sides, choose sides, turn evil, turn back to good, but they still have to entertain.  That’s first and foremost, no matter what real-world events we are going to reflect, they are going to be fictionalized and they’re going to have the classic spin that Stan always brought to them.  They will be serious, but they may make you smile.”

It’s odd to hear Secret Empire held up as an example of Marvel’s political commentary given how much time the company spent insisting that it wasn’t meant to be a political story, despite that obviously not being the case.  Cebulski has a point — comics are meant to be entertainment.  But at the same time, it’s silly to pretend that entertainment should exist in an impenetrable cultural bubble where the realities of the things people experience first hand and see in the media aren’t foundational parts of the stories being told and the people telling them.

One of the most frustrating things about reading comics from legacy publishers is that, inevitably, there comes a moment where you can’t escape the fact that things don’t really change all that much.  Wolverine comes back, Jean Grey dies again, the Fantastic Four have some sort of family drama, and readers are expected to get excited every single time.  Sure, for a while, that can be entertaining, but in time, it becomes a reminder of the historical, systemic inflexibility of the comics publishing industry that, on the whole, has only made the slightest of advancements in terms of diversifying talent pools and staff and pushing for better representation on the page.

The reason that people advocate for timely stories grounded in reality, be they about politically-charged events or not, is because more often than not, those stories center traditionally marginalized people in meaningful ways that other stories do not.  Much noise is made when new characters who aren’t straight white men are introduced, but those characters suffer (narratively speaking) when they’re just plopped into plots readers have seen time and time again, because they break the illusion of comics being as ever-changing as breathless press releases would have you think.

It may come as a surprise to some, but most people aren’t in favor of wall-to-wall Very Special Issues that strictly focus on social injustices week to week.  But relegating those narratives into a few sequestered plot lines that don’t play a part in the long term doesn’t seem like a particularly good idea.  And perhaps having the EiC of a major publisher downplay politically themed stories while women, people of color, and queer people in the comics community are being targeted by hateful crusades of harassment wasn’t the best call.

C.B. McWeeaboo just wants to write fun stories, you guyz.

[sanoiro]

Joe has a 6 year plan? When did he talk about that?

In an amazing Podcast interview of John Siuntres with Joe Henderson that lasts an hour. 

Here: 

Monday, May 14, 2018

http://tobtr.com/10777063

When: 28′

Joe Hendeson had hoped for six seasons with Chloe not knowing for three seasons, and then Chloe knowing the final three seasons. 

He figured that the final episode of season 3 was the halfway (Midway) point of the story he wanted to tell.

Chloe not knowing for three seasonsChloe not knowing for three seasonsChloe not knowing for three seasons

Chloe knowing the FINAL three seasonsChloe knowing the FINAL three seasonsChloe knowing the FINAL three seasons

(Hidden Remote)

So if everything goes well and Henderson decides to keep this kind of seasons count we will have 6 seasons in total otherwise.

Plus, we do not know if S4 is a full season or a half. I believe it managed to say everything the originally planned S4 wanted to say and Netflix picked up Lucifer as there was a plan for the series and an ending in the horizon. 

But Joe adds that they were prepared to go beyond six seasons if the audience demanded more. 

[yeahmikeromeo]

Episode 772: Baltimore Comicon 2021 with John Siuntres

After two years of quarantine, Greg finally attended a live show this past month: the Baltimore Comicon! And as luck would have it, Wordballoon's John Siuntres (aka podcasting's cool uncle) was there as well. What better way to celebrate the chance to get back to in-person interviewing and yakkin' about various things than with the man who helped so many of us do that very thing? While some of the conversation was lost due to technical snafu, what survived ran the gamut from podcasting in the time of the pandemic, the golden age of television, the merits and personal ranking of Stallone's Rocky ouvre, Lou Grant: Crossover Icon, and more!

Robots From Tomorrow is a twice-weekly comics podcast recorded deep beneath the Earth’s surface. You can subscribe to it via iTunes or through the RSS feed at RobotsFromTomorrow.com. You can also follow Mike and Greg on Twitter. Stay safe and enjoy your funny books.

Check out this week's Robots From Tomorrow!

[comicsmithy]

An excellent appreciation of the late John Paul Leon organized by John Siuntres of WordBalloon. Make the time for this.

[jayleeg]

Nick Spencer on Steve Rogers...

"Clearly, we are not looking to ruin what has become a national symbol and one of Marvel's most storied characters, but also, an intellectual property that is worth untold billions of dollars," Spencer told John Siuntres. "Like no, we definitely have a plan for how he gets out of this unscathed."

...That was a Spencer quote from this article here. I’m willing to bet that these words were Disney’s warning TO HIM and he’s just parroting it back. 

Disney execs to Spencer a few months back: This character is worth billions of dollars, you asshole. Fix this!

Spencer, now: Oh I had planned to end SE the way I did all along, I just let you guys think Steve was a fascist for over a year and pissed everyone off in the process for shits and giggles.

Us to Spencer: 

Also us: How about we make none of the heroes a Nazi ever again, for any length of time and for any reason. Not saying your idea was horrid from the get-go, but your idea was horrid from the get-go and should have never happened, ever, no matter how you planned to end it, OMG.

[doctorsparkle]

Met a number of my heroes this Rose City Con, not least of whom, Brazillian Wonder Twins #FabioMoon and #GabrielBa, favourite podcaster, John Siuntres of #wordballoonpodcast , not to mention Matt “Major Tom” Fraction, and #kellysuedeconnick , Archie’s best pal and artist of my childhood and present #danparent and so so many more! (at Oregon Convention Center) https://www.instagram.com/p/B2gM5HfHS7H/?igshid=1r29kcahnd95n

[aftershockcomics]

DESCENDENT #1 is in comic shops NOW! Hear what writer Stephanie Phillips had to say in conversation with WORD BALLOON's John Siuntres. http://bit.ly/2PIVKVg #ReadDangerously #aftershockcomics https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw7avKJhUkG/?igshid=qtzxmt2grqit

[tiambengo]

#notalunchboxdrawring #365in2019definitely #wordballoonpodcast My flavorite podcast is the Word Balloon Podcast by John Siuntres, @wordballoon. Great in depth interviews with some of the best comic book creators. https://www.instagram.com/p/BsM2rTwHUno/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1hpvtby8oxhsm