Comic News Insider

Jimmy went up to the Hudson Valley to attend the Kingston Independent Comic Expo (KICx) on April 18th. Founded & organized by our very own Producer Joe along w/ friends Cris Livecchi & Kevin Rowe. He got 5 interviews and moderated one panel. In this episode you'll hear his interview with local Roxenne Contreras. They have a delightful chat about her comics, love of frogs, the importance of representation and more. 

Jimmy went up to the Hudson Valley to attend the Kingston Independent Comic Expo (KICx) on April 18th. Founded & organized by our very own Producer Joe along w/ friends Cris Livecchi & Kevin Rowe. A great one day fest that has expanded into 2 venues in its 3rd year. Jimmy gives his recap of it all including the new additions like the venue, panels, workshops, etc. He got 5 interviews and moderated the panel Activism in Comics & Zines w/ Greg Pak & Jesse Mechanic. You'll hear all of those in the next 2 weeks. In this episode, you'll hear his interview with old friend Brenden Fletcher. They chat GOTHAM ACADEMY: FIRST YEAR, why it was delayed, cancelled projects, new project teases, a special moment of kindness that Brenden extended to Jimmy years ago and much more.

Jimmy is joined by 2 of the Kingston Independent Comic Expo founders Joe Gonzalez and Cris Livecchi to discuss this Saturday's comic fest. Wait, is that CNI's very own Producer Joe? YES IT IS! They discuss some of the great changes to this 3rd year including an extra venue, panels, signings, workshops and more. Make your way upstate to the Hudson Valley for a great show full of amazing cartoonists and more!

Jimmy attended the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art (MoCCA) Festival last weekend right here in New York City. He interviewed Jesse Mechanic about his recent book THE LAST TIME WE SPOKE: A STORY OF LOSS. How did losing his mother when he was 14 shape his life? What was his road to healing? As a journalist/writer, why did he decide to do it in graphic novel form? They also talked about his most recent book DON'T BE A F*#KING MARSHMALLOW: AN ILLUSTRATED GUIDE TO REVOLUTION, diversity in multimedia and the CHEERS tv show!

Jimmy attended the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art (MoCCA) Festival over the weekend right here in New York City. He interviewed Morgan Boecher about his new book CHICKEN HEART. Is it loosely based on real life? Has the portrayal of transgender people improved in multimedia? Why is the book so musical? Such a fun and enlightening conversation! Come back next week for 1 more interview Jimmy got with Jesse Mechanic!

Jimmy and Producer Joe attended the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art (MoCCA) Festival over the weekend right here in New York City. Jimmy gives his recap of the whole thing including the set up, location, crowd, exhibitors, interviews and more. Producer Joe chatted with many people and possibly convinced some to be future CNI guests. You'll also hear Jimmy's interview with his favorite sibling creators Maria and Peter Hoey. They talk about their new graphic novel THE SHADOWER, fave noir films, acting, what they have coming next and more. Come back later this week and next for 2 more interviews Jimmy got with Morgan Boecher and Jesse Mechanic!

It's our 1700th episode! Jimmy and Producer Joe chat about upcoming conventions (MoCCA Fest, KICx, etc), fave cartoonists/comics/TV/film over the years, K-Pop Demon Hunters at the Oscars, what's next and more! They also had friend Chris Sheridan on to chat about being showrunner on Resident Alien, if he felt satisfied with how it all ended, fave moments, working on Family Guy, maple syrup, a tease of a new project and more.

The Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art Festival (MoCCA Fest) is this weekend here in NYC and Jimmy gives a preview of his plans. He talks about the set up, location, exhibitors, vibe, planned interviews and more. Speaking of interviews, he had planned one with cartoonist Caitlin Du at MoCCA but since they both live in NYC, they decided to meet up early to chat. A lovely talk about Caitlin's comics, her love of Canandien geese, mixing serious tones with humor, art style, moving from China to the US and more. 

Reviews: Exorcism at Buckingham Palace #1, 51 #1, Tigress Island #1, One Piece s2 Jimmy is ecstatic over the K-Pop Demon Hunters Oscar wins. And teases the upcoming episode 1700 recording. Thanks, as always, to reviewers Avery, Marta and Melissa. And to Emily for the news which includes: Netflix officially confirms K-Pop Demon Hunters sequel, Buffy reboot cancelled, a Firefly animated series may be on the way and more. Emily and Jimmy both editorialize about some of the news. They both have ties to Firefly fandom and give their opinions on it all. Jimmy fell out of the fandom years ago and explains why but still remains hopeful for the animated series.  www.comicnewsinsider.com

Reviews: Disney Villains: Gaston #1, Exploit #1, Nectar #1, The Beauty s1, Scream 7 Once again, Jimmy recruits some of his friends and favorite reviewers to help out. Thanks to Avery, Melissa, Steph and Erick. And to Emily for the news which includes: Mike Richardson out at Dark Horse, THE LAST STARFIGHTER gets a comic sequel, Nintendo sues over tariffs & more!     

Reviews​: New History Of The DC Universe​: The Dakota Incident #1​, The Rocketeer: The Island #1, Star Trek Deviations: Threads of Destiny #1, Universal Monsters: The Phantom of the Opera #1, Goat. Once again, Jimmy recruits some of his friends and favorite reviewers to help out. Thanks to Avery, Marta and Melissa. And to Emily for the news which includes: JLA/Avengers gets a reprint, Aladdin gets its own comic series, the Wolverine video game is coming & more!

Reviews: Death Fight Forever #1, Florida Hippopotamus Cocaine Massacre #1, Muppets Noir #1, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms finale.   Once again, Jimmy recruits some of his friends and favorite reviewers to help out. Thanks to Avery, Marta and Melissa. And to Emily for the news which includes: K-Pop Demon Hunters sequel delayed, Jay & Silent Bob in Marvel Comics, Hello Kitty comics & more! 

Reviews: Bleeding Hearts #1, DC KO: Boss Battle #1, Knight City #1, Murder Drones #1, Dracula Once again, Jimmy recruits some of his friends and favorite reviewers to help out. Thanks to Marta and Melissa. And to Emily for the news which includes: Mattel gets the TMNT toy rights, ONE PIECE is free to read, TRANSFORMERS: THE MOVIE anniversary events & more!  www.comicnewsinsider.com

Reviews: Archie's Valentine's Spectacular #1​, Archie x The Army of Darkness #1, Luna Snow World Tour #1, The Beauty, Fallout s2 finale, The Muppet Show, Wonder Man Our first regular format show in some time! Jimmy recruits some of his friends and favorite reviewers to help out. Thanks to Marta, Melissa and Dave. And Emily returns to the news desk! News includes: K-Pop Demon Hunters gets a comic, Sex Criminals gets a show, a power shake-up at Disney & more!  www.comicnewsinsider.com

Jimmy jaunts down to his old hometown of Jacksonville, FL for a short mental health break. He meets up w/ childhood pals Ted and Edward along w/ Edward's son Evan for some podcasting. First, the 3 olds discuss access to nerd culture growing up in the 80s and compare it to growing up now. Evan talks about how he discovered his love of nerdy things and the ease of access to it all.  The main chat is a revisit to K-Pop Demon Hunters. Ted had never seen it. So Jimmy badgered him into watching it w/ him the night before the recording. Jimmy and Evan have seen it many many times and Edward a couple of times. They see if Ted likes it or not which ultimately will decide if they remain friends. ;) Ted gives his true feelings about it, what it was like watching it with Jimmy and if it lives up to the hype.  www.comicnewsinsider.com

Top 3…uh…6!: One Battle After Another, This Is Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, Left-Handed Girl, Adolescence s1, The Elixir, Once Upon A Dance Time: Peach Boy Jimmy is back with some more great recommendations for you to check out! Check them out if you haven't. And if you have, let us know what you thought. 

Reviews​: Fionna and Cake s2​, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Stranger Things series finale, Avatar: Fire and Ash, Dust Bunny​, Predator: Badlands​, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple​, Wicked: For Good Another TV/film/streaming review catch-up! Some recent ones and some from end of last year for your listening pleasure. Did you check any of these out? Let us know your thoughts and if you agree/disagree with Jimmy. 

Hope you enjoyed our Best of 2025 and Jimmy's extra picks! We reached out to CNI pals to get them to send in some of their fave 2025 pics, Thanks to friends Monica Gallagher, Kathy Kim, Waverly Lim, Marta Balusek, Jenna Cha, Maria Hoey, Jonathan Baylis, David Monteith, Corey Brotherson, Melissa Bleier, Steph Crawford and Bre Sarpy! So many great choices to check out.

Hope you enjoyed our Best of 2025! Jimmy still had more picks to recommend so he thought he'd do a solo show to tell you all about them. Some comics, TV, film, streaming & more. Were any of these on your list? What other ones did you love?

It's our BIG Best of 2025 podcast! In the annual very lengthy podcast, Jimmy and Producer Joe welcome back friends Heidi MacDonald (The Beat EIC) and Avery Kaplan (The Beat Features Editor) to join in the fun. They each talk about their favorite picks of 2025 in comics, TV, streaming and film. There will be multiple great picks per category from some of them as well. Hang in there for the ride! As we always say, these picks are what we read/saw and we didn't read/see EVERYTHING. What are some of your faves of last year?