From stage to screen, comic panel to real life. That's what you can find on Two Geeks Talking
And... it's already May!
It’s been a busy few months since the last newsletter. Only 38% of those that receive it will open it. This one is jam packed with what’s coming up, a new members only group/discord and more!
Here’s what you’ll read in today’s newsletter:
Two Geeks Talking April Interviews
New Private Facebook Group and Discord and New Services
What I’m Reading/Watching/Learning in the Geeksphere
Let’s dive into it.
Here’s what you missed in April
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a professor, journalist, game historian, comic writer, and voice actor who has quietly built a career at the crossroads of academia, media, and pop culture—from bylines in The New York Times and The New York Daily News to founding ReviewFix.com and running Legacy Comix as editor-in-chief. We unpack how he created the long-running The Minds Behind the Games book series, turned his love of hockey into Aces Over Brooklyn, and built street-level crime comic Condrey while teaching communication and journalism at CUNY. We also dig into his voice work on games like The Padre, WrestleQuest, Five Nights at Freddy’s: Into the Pit, Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, and more, exploring what performing dozens of characters teaches him about storytelling on the page and in the classroom. If you’re interested in how an associate professor can juggle journalism, video games, comic books, and voice acting without losing the thread—and what it really takes to build a body of work across so many mediums—this episode of Two Geeks Talking is for you.
Chris Stall, co‑founder of CHK Comics, breaks down how he and Kris Mendoza built AHA! (A Horror Anthology) as their flagship project—curating new indie horror voices, juggling creative and business brains, and running a Kickstarter that won’t become “another unfulfilled campaign.” He shares how they chose their creators, what this book says about the future brand of CHK Comics, and the hard truths he wishes more indie creators understood about deadlines, professionalism, and pitching. The conversation dives into horror influences, current “horror diet,” and introspective questions on success, failure, legacy, and what it really takes to make an anthology that actually ships.
Atom! Freeman has been playing the long game in comics market for 30+ years, and now he’s betting big on something everyone wanted but no one was executing: a physical magazine you actually pick up in your LCS. Comics The Magazine is the print-native answer to an overwhelmed direct market—giving retailers a plug‑and‑play discovery engine and giving potential customers and comic creators a real platform for interviews, previews, and business‑side insight Gen Z can actually act on. If you’re a creator, publisher, or shop owner who wants to stop complaining about algorithms and start owning attention—this episode breaks down how to partner with Prana, how to think about the next 10 years of comics, and why asking for help is the actual flex.
Special mentions to past interview this year from @SourcePointPress Dirk Manning and @pestocomics Adriano Ariganello's interview during this interview.
Alex Schumacher returns to Two Geeks Talking to dissect how he and co-creator Aaron Cohen built Schticks & Stones—a smart, Jewish mystery comic that sits somewhere between Mel Brooks, Sherlock Holmes, and Clue. He breaks down the core engine of the series once you strip away the holiday hooks, how to stay “all the Jewish funny, none of the Jewish guilt” without leaning on clichés, and what Crime & Passover first issue taught him artstically when drawing the other holiday mysteries. You’ll also hear how Tales From The Cloakroom and Flash Gordon Adventures shaped his craft, the page layouts he relies on when a joke has to land, and why paying your success forward is non-negotiable in comics.
If You Love Mel Brooks and Clue, This Jewish Mystery Comic Is For You
New Facebook Group and Discord… Who dis?
Something I’ve been mulling over for a while is a private Facebook group and discord to build up the community on Two Geeks Talking.
I’m calling it The Geeksphere Network.
Call it a form of digital networking, but I want to bring people together to ask questions, ask for help in the Geeksphere, networking with creative people in the industries of Comics, TV and Film, Music and Video Games.
Who knows if the person you meet here because you were on the show could help you with your next big project.
This is for past clients that have paid for a service on Two Geeks Talking and many that have been on the show in the past (before the paid service was introduced).
Comment your thoughts in this newsletter or connect with me on social media or my email address: twogeekstalking@gmail.com
What I’m Reading/Watching/Playing/Geeking Out On
Reading:
Not much at this point but I’m back and forth between Gary Vaynerchuk’s books (I have all four) and a YouTube book.
Watching:
Alot of cooking recipes and shows about cultural dishes. Have thoughts on making my own YouTube Channel with a collection of family recipes to keep their memories alive.
Playing:
Crimson Desert is a challenging but fun game. A long-time friend and streamer recommended the game by saying: “You can do anything from body-slamming to “This is Sparta” kicking a person off a cliff and many other interactions. Grabbed it right away.
If you’ve made it this far thank you as always for supporting the show and what I have done over the last 17+ years and 1200+ interviews.
If you could subscribe to the YouTube Channel, Like a video interview and share one that speaks to you with a friend it would greatly help me out.
See you next month!