Off Panel #531: One World Under Beetle with Brandon Burpee

Off Panel #531: One World Under Beetle with Brandon Burpee

Author: SKTCHD December 22, 2025 Duration: 1:54:11

My pal Brandon Burpee returns to the podcast for our annual look at the year in comics before we count down our 20 favorite comics of the year. Burpee discusses the year in comics, the state of the Big Two, where the X-Men are, older comics that might have previous lists, anticipated comics from 2026, ancient Star Wars takes, and more, before we share our honorable mentions from the year in comics and then count down our 20 favorites comics and graphic novels from 2025.

Love the podcast and want to support it? Back it on Patreon at Patreon.com/OffPanel

For those that are looking for a list of our 20 favorite comics, here they are.

David Harper's 20 Favorite Comics of 2025
1. Beetle Moses
2. Hirayasumi
3. Sleep
4. Land Vol. 1
5. Do Admit! The Mitford Sisters and Me
6. Cannon
7. The Fables of Erlking Wood
8. Good Devils: Don't Play Fair with Evil
9. Ionheart
10. Lucas Wars
11. Out of Alcatraz
12. A Garden of Spheres
13. Tongues Vol. 1
14. Assorted Crisis Events
15. Flip
16. The Knives
17. Raised by Ghosts
18. Tokyo Alien Bros.
19. Absolute Wonder Woman
20. Absolute Batman

Brandon Burpee's 20 Favorite Comics of 2025
1. One World Under Doom
2. Green Lantern
3. Batman and Robin: Year One
4. Deadpool/Wolverine
5. Superman
6. X-Men
7. JSA
8. Absolute Superman
9. Justice League Unlimited
10. Exquisite Corpses
11. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 12. Geiger
13. Storm
14. Absolute Wonder Woman
15. Redcoat
16. Captain America
17. Invincible Universe: Battle Beast
18. Green Lantern Corps
19. Escape
20. History of the DC Universe


Each week on Off Panel: A Comics Interview Podcast, host David Harper of SKTCHD sits down for a conversation that goes deeper than the usual press cycle. This isn't just about promoting the latest project; it's about understanding the people and the processes that shape the comic book industry. You'll hear from writers, artists, editors, and other key figures in a way that reveals the personal journeys, creative struggles, and collaborative triumphs behind the pages we love. The discussions are thoughtful and meandering, often touching on craft, industry shifts, and the simple love of the medium itself. By focusing on the human stories, this podcast builds a more complete picture of comics culture, from the indie scene to the major publishers. It's for anyone who has ever finished a great comic and immediately wondered about the minds that built it. New episodes arrive weekly, offering a consistent and engaging look into this vibrant world. For more, you can find David Harper and SKTCHD across various social platforms.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 560

Off Panel: A Comics Interview Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Off Panel #74: Embrace Comics with Charlie Adlard [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:16:15
Artist Charlie Adlard guests on Off Panel this week to talk about his work on The Walking Dead as well as his new role as the United Kingdom's Comics Laureate. Adlard talks his incredible (and expansive) run on The Walki…
Off Panel #73: The Art Connection with John Paul Leon [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:21
On this week's Off Panel, artist John Paul Leon joins the show to talk art and his work on comic covers for books like The Sheriff of Babylon and DMZ. He talks his art background, giving fantastical worlds a sense of rea…
Off Panel #72: Blowing Minds with Ryan Stegman [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:10:36
On this week's Off Panel, artist Ryan Stegman joins the show to talk his art and Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows. He discusses his famous stegosaurus signature, when he first realized he wanted to work in comics, the…
Off Panel #71: Not Brand Echh with Ryan Higgins [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:23:42
The owner of comic retailer Comics Conspiracy, Ryan Higgins, joins Off Panel this week to talk Marvel Now and where the publisher is these days. Higgins shares how he got into comics retail, what his customer base is lik…
Off Panel #70: Historical Mentors with Vivek Tiwary [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:01
Writer Vivek Tiwary joins Off Panel this week to talk the new edition of his graphic novel The Fifth Beatle. Tiwary talks his comic background, what the learning curve was like for writing comics after years in Broadway…
Off Panel #69: The Curious Case of Carter J. Burke with Paolo Rivera [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:25
Artist Paolo Rivera joins Off Panel this week to talk how he works and what he's up to these days. He talks how sculpture changes his art, bringing characters to life with his art, what his process is, why he's dialed ba…
Off Panel #68: The Writing Hustle with Shea Serrano [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:57
Writer Shea Serrano joins Off Panel this week to talk about writing and his work for The Ringer and in his New York Times Best Selling book The Rap Year Book. Serrano talks the learning curve of writing, how he refined i…
Off Panel #67: The Best Intentions with Tom King [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:49
Writer Tom King joins Off Panel this week to talk his work on books like The Vision, The Sheriff of Babylon, The Omega Men and Batman. He talks his experience writing Batman, what appealed to him about comics as a storyt…
Off Panel #66: The Marvel Fantasy Draft with Brandon Burpee [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:26:16
Alert! Alert! Things have gotten weird for Marvel Comics lately, between the delayed Civil War II and the uninspiring Marvel Now line, and Off Panel's here to fix everything. To do that, recurring guest Brandon Burpee jo…
Off Panel #65: Storytelling with Chris Samnee [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:32
Chris Samnee, the co-writer and artist of Marvel's Black Widow, joins Off Panel this week to talk his work on that book and his new Daredevil Artist's Edition from IDW Publishing. Samnee talks how that Artist's Edtion ca…