Sit down with BJ KICKS, host of Comics Are Dope on YouTube, as we talk comics with some of your favorite creators and online personalities.
Episodes
Latest Episode
September 3, 2026 · 54m
Today I'm talking to Regine L. Sawyer, an Eisner award winning writer, publisher, advocate and philanthropist. She's perhaps best known as the founder of the Women in Comics Collective, and through that work has helped countless individuals find their footing in an industry that is often hostile toward them. Today we talk about Regine's journey, and why she holds her work so dearly. Regine L. Sawyer is an American comics writer, editor, and founder of Women in Comics NYC Collective International. She is the author of The Rippers , Eating Vampires and Ice Witch . She is the owner, writer, and creator of Lockett Down Productions, a small press company that employs all-female comic book artists with an emphasis on women of color. Women in Comics NYC Collective International or "WinC" is dedicated to giving a voice to women who work in the comic book industry and helping them better brand themselves and promote their projects. Sawyer started this organization in May 2012 after hosting a Women in Comics Panel at Bronx Heroes Comic Con. At the panel, Sawyer recognized a highly underrepresented community of women of color in the comic book industry. WinC stresses being open to all women of any ethnicity, culture, or background with the goal of giving a monetary reason to continue in this field. WinC has grown to have more than 100 members and holds workshops and panels all across the United States. For More from Comics Are Dope: Get This Week in Comics , our weekly e-mail newsletter: Subscribe on YouTube: Join our online Discussion Communities: Facebook - Discord -
More Episodes
Aug 27 · 1h 4m
Ahead of the release of Warbird #1, Robert Venditti joins to talk about his journey into comics, the fun marketing concepts coming from Bad Idea and telling varied stories. About Robert Venditti: New York Times bestselling author Robert Venditti broke into comics the old-fashioned way—by starting out in the mailroom. He began working for publisher Top Shelf Productions in 2002, and within a few months sold them the script forThe Surrogates, his first comic book series. The story was later adapted into a feature film starring Bruce Willis and Ving Rhames. Venditti went on to write the original graphic novelThe Homeland Directive, as well as the graphic novel adaptations of Rick Riordan's bestsellingPercy Jackson and the Olympiansnovels. In 2012, he helped relaunch Valiant Entertainment’s comic book universe by writing their flagship title,X-O Manowar. About Warbird: Cole is a repo man of the highest caliber, repossessing heavily guarded mega yachts from billionaires, private planes from captains of industry, and everything in-between. If it’s got an engine, he can drive it, ride it, or fly it straight out from under the nose of an army of guards. Now he’s handed the job of a lifetime. The impossible job. One that will bring him face to face with the highest stakes. The Russians have stolen aeronautical military secrets from China, France, Germany, The UK, and the US to “Frankenstein” together the ultimate bleeding edge, next-gen fighter jet: The Warbird. There are only three of them in existence. They are a force of absolute nature—$1.4 billion apiece—dominating every global hotspot from Syria to Ukraine. And Cole’s been hired to steal one… and destroy the other two. His fee? 10%. A cool $140 million. But this isn’t a repossession job. This is outright theft. And failure doesn’t mean jail time and fines—it means a bullet to the back of the head. For More from Comics Are Dope:Get This Week in Comics, our weekly e-mail newsletter: http://thisweekincomics.comSubscribe on YouTube: http://youtube.com/@comicsaredopeJoin our online Discussion Communities:Facebook - http://bjkicks.link/communityDiscord - http://bjkicks.link/discord
Aug 20 · 56m
Michael Stradford may be the most interesting man in comics. He's worked in Radio, Film, the Music Industry and now Comics. His latest endeavor, Grindhouse Comics Presents, showcases one of his early loves - Grindhouse and Blaxploitation films. Grindhouse Comics Presents is a 200+ page, oversized 9 Ă— 12-inch hardcover graphic novel anthology anchored by Raine, a 92-page crime-and-revenge epic, plus seven original stories of street justice, martial arts and hard-edged adventure. Back the campaign at http://comicsaredope.com/grindhouse For More from Comics Are Dope:Get This Week in Comics, our weekly e-mail newsletter: http://thisweekincomics.comSubscribe on YouTube: http://youtube.com/@comicsaredopeJoin our online Discussion Communities:Facebook - http://bjkicks.link/communityDiscord - http://bjkicks.link/discord
Aug 13 · 1h 8m
For the first time ever, decades of DuckTales comic book history are brought together in one definitive collector’s program. Stories from 1988-2026 will be collected in the definitive library-quality omnibus collections. Long forgotten tales will be resurrected. Adventures from publishers of the past will be rediscovered, reconstructed, and refurbished into amazing bookshelf treasures. These are the lost tomes of McDuck - come and discover one of comics greatest treasures in the pages of these lovingly crafted collections. Back the Campaign at http://comicsaredope.com/ducktales For More from Comics Are Dope:Get This Week in Comics, our weekly e-mail newsletter: http://thisweekincomics.comSubscribe on YouTube: http://youtube.com/@comicsaredopeJoin our online Discussion Communities:Facebook - http://bjkicks.link/communityDiscord - http://bjkicks.link/discord
Aug 6 · 45m
...while trying REALLY hard not to spoil anything. For More from Comics Are Dope: Get This Week in Comics, our weekly e-mail newsletter: http://thisweekincomics.com Subscribe on YouTube: http://youtube.com/@comicsaredope Join our online Discussion Communities: Facebook - http://bjkicks.link/community Discord - http://bjkicks.link/discord
Jul 30 · 1h 8m
Pledge to the campaign at http://comicsaredope.com/waypoint Claire Carlisle thought she was finally done. After fleeing a troubled life on Earth, Claire ended up stranded on a forgotten spaceport at the edge of civilized space. Without galactic citizenship, she had only one way to survive: working security cases for the local station while she slowly earned the right to legally exist among the stars. Claire has an advantage: humans are naturally curious. We ask questions. We follow threads. We keep pushing when something doesn’t add up… Her latest case should have been routine. A cosmic ambassador was murdered, but to solve it, she’ll have to go places she’d rather not go and work with space mobsters she’d rather arrest. But some deals fall through, and some mysteries go on even when the files are closed. Waypoint begins where most detective stories would end. For More from Comics Are Dope:Get This Week in Comics, our weekly e-mail newsletter: http://thisweekincomics.comSubscribe on YouTube: http://youtube.com/@comicsaredopeJoin our online Discussion Communities:Facebook - http://bjkicks.link/communityDiscord - http://bjkicks.link/discord
Jul 23 · 1h 21m
When Michael Davis of Blerds Underground looked around at ComicsPro 2023, he was surprised to find no one else in the room who looked like him. He started asking around... "Where are all the Black retailers?" The collective response was "let us know when you find them." Three years later, he's doing exactly that. With Phillip Rollins of Offbeat in Jackson, MS; they've assembled The Ink Alliance. A 10-store coalition of Black-owned Direct Market shops (thought to represent more than half of all Black owned comic shops in North America). Their first project together? An exclusive Sanford Greene variant for one of the most important single issues of the year. Listen as Michael and Phil, along with Josef Woods of The Comic Den and Sean & Ragan Mack of Cuts and Comics talk about the formation of their alliance, and what they look forward to now that they're in community with one another. Learn more about The Ink Alliance and how you can secure your exclusive New Titans #38 variant at http://theinkalliance.org  For More from Comics Are Dope:Get This Week in Comics, our weekly e-mail newsletter: http://thisweekincomics.comSubscribe on YouTube: http://youtube.com/@comicsaredopeJoin our online Discussion Communities:Facebook - http://bjkicks.link/communityDiscord - http://bjkicks.link/discord
Jul 16 · 1h 26m
Join filmmaker Phillip “Big Phill” Thompson as he embarks on an extraordinary adventure to uncover the missing original artwork from Fantastic Four #52 — the groundbreaking comic that introduced the world to the Black Panther. This artwork has mysteriously vanished from comic book history, and it’s time to solve this intriguing mystery. Back the Campaign at http://comicsaredope.com/52 For More from Comics Are Dope:Get This Week in Comics, our weekly e-mail newsletter: http://thisweekincomics.comSubscribe on YouTube: http://youtube.com/@comicsaredopeJoin our online Discussion Communities:Facebook - http://bjkicks.link/communityDiscord - http://bjkicks.link/discord
Jul 9 · 56m
Today I'm talking with John Layman & Rob Guillory about their latest creator-owned project, Ghost Brawler. Listen to learn how the creative reunion came together, why they decided to crowdfund this time, and just what this team has in store for readers. Back Ghostbrawler: http://comicsaredope.com/ghostbrawler For More from Comics Are Dope:Get This Week in Comics, our weekly e-mail newsletter: http://thisweekincomics.comSubscribe on YouTube: http://youtube.com/@comicsaredopeJoin our online Discussion Communities:Facebook - http://bjkicks.link/communityDiscord - http://bjkicks.link/discord
Jul 2 · 1h 10m
Amid the campaign for Aceblade #10, Danny and I have a candid conversation about making indie comics amid other community movements. Back the Campaign at http://comicsaredope.com/aceblade For More from Comics Are Dope:Get This Week in Comics, our weekly e-mail newsletter: http://thisweekincomics.comSubscribe on YouTube: http://youtube.com/@comicsaredopeJoin our online Discussion Communities:Facebook - http://bjkicks.link/communityDiscord - http://bjkicks.link/discord