Tiffany Babb on The Comics Staple

Tiffany Babb on The Comics Staple

Author: Brad & Lisa Gullickson April 24, 2026 Duration: 1:08:18
With social media splintering and websites chasing clicks, navigating the comic book industry has never been more challenging. Tiffany Babb and The Comics Staple are here to help, hopefully. If you have any interest in comics criticism, you’re probably already aware of who Babb is and what fight she’s fighting. Her latest project is a monthly black-and-white zine designed to be a tool for readers entering their local comic shop. Her roster of tastemakers will guide you through what’s hot, what’s not, and break beyond the publicity machine. You have less than a week to back The Comics Staple on Kickstarter. It’s already reached well beyond its goal. This beauty is happening, and we can’t wait to get our hands on the first issue in September. As we’re attempting to balance our lives between the online space and “the meat space,” endeavors like The Comics Staple seem poised to help. It’s always a pleasure to have Tiffany Babb on the podcast. This week, we discuss why she added The Comics Staple to her workload, how she assembled her creative team, why the physical media movement is gaining steam with younger generations, and who will benefit from a twelve-page comic book guide. Find The Comics Courier Kickstarter here. Continue the conversation with Tiffany Babb by following her on BlueSky, Instagram, and her Website. This Week's Sponsors Everyone loves to talk and debate about comics, but few people get to see what it’s actually like behind the scenes. Now, IDW Publishing is changing that with the launch of IDW Studios. The first monthly show is CreatorxCreator, a free-flowing, fun and honest chat between two comic book creators as they discuss their craft, process, inspiration, and what life is really like as a creative. The second monthly show, Superlatives, brings IDW’s knowledgeable and spirited editors head-to-head to debate each of these categories, with another editor stepping in as the moderator to pick the winner once the pros have made their arguments. The Future is Calling! 2000 AD is the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic, with new issues published every single week! Every 32-page issue of 2000 AD brings you the best in sci-fi and horror, featuring characters like Judge Dredd, Rogue Trooper, and more. Get a print subscription to 2000 AD and it’ll arrive to your mailbox every week - and your first issue is free! Or subscribe digitally, and you can download DRM-free copies of each issue for only $9 a month. That’s 128 pages of incredible comics every month for less than $10! Head to 2000AD.com and click on ‘subscribe’ now – or download the 2000 AD app and start reading today! Other Relevant Links to This Week's Episode: Subscribe to the Comic Book Couples Counseling YouTube Channel Watch The Stacks, Comic Creators Name Their Favorite Comics Matttttttt on Blind Bags Previously on CBCC: Tiffany Babb on The Comics Courier Previously on CBCC: Christian Ward on Event Horizon: Dark Descent Comic Book Club: Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees at Meanwhile...Coffee in Herndon, Virginia, on 5/3 at 3:30 PM Comic Book Film Club: Paying For It on 4/26 at the Alamo Drafthouse in Winchester, Virginia. Final Round of Plugs (PHEW): Support the Podcast by Joining OUR PATREON COMMUNITY. And, of course, follow Comic Book Couples Counseling on Facebook, on Instagram, and on Bluesky @CBCCPodcast, and you can follow hosts Brad Gullickson @MouthDork & Lisa Gullickson @sidewalksiren. Send us your Words of Affirmation by leaving us a 5-star Review on Apple Podcasts. Continue your conversation with CBCC by hopping over to our website, where we have reviews, essays, and numerous interviews with comic book creators. Podcast logo by Jesse Lonergan and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou.

Ever wonder what keeps Lois Lane and Clark Kent together, or why the Joker and Harley Quinn’s dynamic is so endlessly dissected? That’s the kind of territory you’ll find in Comic Book Couples Counseling Podcast. Hosted by real-life married couple Brad and Lisa Gullickson, this isn’t just a rundown of famous pairs. Instead, they use their own relationship as a lens to examine the loves, feuds, and complicated bonds that define our favorite characters. Each episode feels like a lively conversation between two passionate fans who happen to share a life, digging into the psychology, history, and narrative impact of relationships across comic book publishing and wider pop culture. You’ll hear them analyze everything from classic Golden Age partnerships to the messy modern entanglements in contemporary graphic novels, always with a mix of deep knowledge and genuine curiosity. This podcast offers a uniquely personal and thoughtful way to engage with the stories you love, moving beyond powers and plot twists to ask what these fictional connections really say about us. Tune in for a smart, often funny, and always insightful look at the heart of the narratives.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Comic Book Couples Counseling Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Stephanie Williams on Street Sharks [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:09
As far as mantras go, Street Sharks have one about as good as they come. They fight. They bite. They stand for everything right. You can read it on the opening page of each issue of the IDW Publishing series, and as we d…
Chris Condon and Jacob Phillips on The Peril of the Brutal Dark [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:14
Those in the know have been (im)patiently waiting for The Peril of the Brutal Dark: An Ezra Cain Mystery. Of course, no one has been waiting as long as the comic’s creators, Chris Condon and Jacob Phillips. The series or…
Exclusive! Brad Meltzer on Spider-Man/Superman [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:23
Immediately after we recorded our last conversation with Brad Meltzer, we recorded a secret second episode. He was aching to discuss his next project, but he couldn’t quite let the cat out of the bag until Marvel Comics…
Dave Chisholm on Is Ted OK [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:09:52
No one makes comics like Dave Chisholm, and we don’t allow him to make one without first making a stop at the podcast. His latest, Is Ted OK?, reveals an artist pushing himself to his very limit, built on an incredible r…
Brad Meltzer on The Viper [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:22:01
When you read The Viper, the new Zig and Nola novel from Brad Meltzer, it doesn’t take long to see how comics inform the author’s creativity. As he says during our conversation, “It’s Superman and Batman. It’s Spider-Man…
The Stampies: Best Comics of 2025 (Part Two) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:58:10
Welcome back, friend. Our end-of-the-year celebration concludes with The Stampies: Best Comics of 2025 (Part Two). If you missed the Part One party, click here, and discover the comics we considered the saddest of 2025,…
The Stampies: Best Comics of 2025 (Part One) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:41:49
Friends, let’s celebrate. We’ve made it through another year, and no matter how you felt about the world outside your local comic book shop, you certainly read some great comics. Welcome to our annual award show, The Sta…
Jock on Absolute Batman 15 - Oh, that Joker [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:29
With the release of Absolute Batman #15 and the big reveal of Absolute Joker, we’re excited to welcome artist Jockonto the show for the first time. We would consider this comic an event even without the gnarly origin sto…
Patrick McDonnell on The Gift of Everything [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:12:05
Sorry to inform you, friends, but it’s December already. The gift-giving season is here, and with it, if you’re at all like us, a month filled with tremendous anxiety. We may love putting together a Comic Book Holiday Gi…