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.

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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 #465: Architectural Digest with Declan Shalvey [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:18:30
Writer/artist Declan Shalvey joins the show to talk about his rather considerable mix of projects. Shalvey discusses his busy dance card, the value of time, putting out fires, why he wanted to work on Mystique, cool vers…
Off Panel #464: Living Hell with Caitlin Yarsky [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:10:34
Writer/artist Caitlin Yarsky joins the show to talk about her upcoming Dark Horse Comics series Living Hell and what goes into soloing a comics project. Yarsky discusses her current slate, working on Black Hammer, how sh…
Off Panel #463: Easy Button with Kelly Sue DeConnick [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:11:41
Writer Kelly Sue DeConnick joins the show to talk about her upcoming Dark Horse Comics series FML and everything that comes with it. DeConnick discusses current stress levels, the origins of FML, its evolution, the glory…
Off Panel #462: Batober with Chris Samnee [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:09:39
Artist Chris Samnee joins the show to talk about Batman and Robin: Year One and how he does what he does. Samnee discusses how he works, his collaboration with Mark Waid, its evolution, learning about how he wants to wor…
Off Panel #461: Comfort Zone with Dustin Nguyen [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:52
Artist Dustin Nguyen joins the show to talk about his career and his upcoming crowdfunded art book, The Art of Descender. Nguyen discusses convention life, what he's working on these days, working with other publishers,…
Off Panel #460: Savannah Bananas with Jake Williams and Nicolas Niño [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:11
IDW Associate Editor Jake Williams and Assistant Editor Nicolas Niño join the show to talk about their roles in the editorial ecosystem and their journeys in comics. The pair discusses the daily life of an editor, how ed…
Off Panel #459: The Drawing Kid with Dustin Weaver [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:28
Writer/artist Dustin Weaver joins the show to chat about his career, path in comics, and his work on Image Comics releases like Paklis and 1949. Weaver discusses his night owl nature, maintaining a schedule, following wh…
Off Panel #458: Shadowrun with Michael Walsh [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:09:11
Writer/artist Michael Walsh joins the show to talk about his incredibly busy workload on titles like Universal Monsters: Frankenstein, The Sacred Damned, and Nullhunter. Walsh discusses his full dance card, drawing Magic…
Off Panel #457: Brave New World with Heidi MacDonald [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:14
The Beat's Heidi MacDonald returns to the podcast to talk about Penguin Random House's acquisition of BOOM! Studios and our expectations for San Diego Comic Con. MacDonald discusses the big PRH/BOOM! news, why the former…
Off Panel #456: Many Worlds with Christian Ward [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:28
Writer/aritst Christian Ward joins the show to talk about his new art book, Many Worlds - The Art of Christian Ward - Volume One and his series at DSTLRY, Spectregraph. Ward discusses how his schedule works, leaning into…