AIPT Comics

The AIPT Comics Podcast returns with episode 399! This week, David Brooke sits down with cartoonist Leah Hayes to discuss her haunting new graphic novel, Identical, from Fantagraphics. Inspired by her experiences as an identical twin, Hayes explores family, identity, and the unsettling possibilities of artificial intelligence. We discuss the story's personal inspiration, her distinctive art style, and plans for a potential film adaptation.
Before the interview, David and co-host Alex Schlesinger break down the biggest news from NYCC 2026, including Grant Morrison's James Bond series, Marvel's Webtoon shakeup, and major announcements from Marvel and DC.
Visit our Patreon page to see the various tiers you can sign up for today to get in on the ground floor of AIPT Patreon. We hope to see you chatting with us on our Discord soon!
NEWS
NYCC news!Grant Morrison takes on James Bond in new IDW comic series ‘Sunbreaker’
WEBTOON and Marvel launch new Marvel Comics app November 16 as Marvel Unlimited shuts downExclusive: ‘Mighty Morphin Power Rangers’ is coming to WEBTOON

NYCC 2026: Marvel announces new ‘Captain Marvel’ series, ‘Daredevil’ #700, and more at Bullpen Bulletins panel
NYCC 2026: Marvel reveals terrifying new X-Men designs, Midnight Doctor Octopus, and more
Marvel teases mysterious June 2027 event with ‘Tomorrow Is One Day Away’ at NYCC 2026
IDW Goes Dark in 2027 with horror takes on TMNT, Sonic, Godzilla and more
Stan Sakai and Soo Lee team up for ‘TMNT: The First Ronin’ in March 2027
NYCC 2026: DC Black Label/Vertigo reminds fans there’s more to DC than Batman
NYCC 2026: DC announces ‘Absolute Justice,’ teases major Batman twists and more
NYCC 2026: DC Next Level reveals new Starfire, Swamp Thing, and Superboy-Prime comics, plus major Batman updates
EXCLUSIVE Ignition Press Series Announcement: ‘The Caretaker’ #1

Gates McFadden to write ‘Star Trek: Crusher’ comic for IDW
Oni Press resurrects ‘Dr. Syn’ for new series from Michael E. Uslan and Steven S. DeKnight
Our Top Books of the Week:
Dave:
Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees: Halloween Special #1 (Various)
Dinner Date #1 (Joanne Starer, Khary Randolph)
Alex:​​
The Demon #1 (James Harren, Dave Stewart)
Midnight X-Men #1 (Hickman, Matteo De La Fonte)
Standout KAPOW moment of the week:
Alex: Luther Strode #1 (yes, I know it’s an anniversary reprint, but still)
Dave: Midnight Spider-Man #1 (Phillip Kennedy Johnson, ScieTronc)
TOP BOOKS FOR NEXT WEEK
Alex: It Demands Sacrifice #1 (Phillip Gelatt, David Yarovesky)
Dave: DOOM All-On-One #1 (Al Ewing, Alessandro Cappuccio)
JUDGING BY THE COVER JR.
Dave: Black Cat #15 (Josemaria Casanovas)
Alex: Sicko #3 (Sebastian Fiumara)
Interview: Leah Hayes - Identical - September 15, 2026.
1. Identical’s main premise is about AI-assisted fertility, but very quickly becomes an intimate story about family and identity. Did the concept start with the speculative technology, or with your own experiences as an identical twin?
2. This is your most personal work to date. After years of illustrating other people's stories, what made this the right time to tell one so deeply connected to your own life?
3. One of the book's biggest mysteries is that readers aren't immediately sure which twin is artificial. How did you approach building that uncertainty without turning the story into a traditional mystery?
4. The graphic novel raises fascinating questions about what makes someone "real." Did your own relationship as an identical twin influence how you think about identity, individuality, and what separates one person from another?
5. The artwork is strikingly minimal. Many pages contain only one or two panels, and the limited blue-and-white palette, combined with the paper-like textures, creates an almost dreamlike atmosphere. What led you to such a restrained visual language, and how did you decide that less would ultimately say more?
6. The emotional connection between the sisters feels almost supernatural, even before the AI elements enter the story. How did you balance the science fiction with the emotional truth of what it's actually like to be an identical twin?
7. The mother makes a morally complicated decision out of love, and the bioengineer believes he's advancing humanity. The book rarely presents easy heroes or villains. Was it important to you that every character believe they're doing the right thing?
8. The sparse pacing gives readers a lot of space to sit with each moment, almost like poetry. Did you always envision Identical moving at this quiet rhythm, or did you discover that pacing through revisions?
9. The ending reframes the story in a hopeful way, with the narrator embracing who she is instead of fearing it. After exploring questions of identity, motherhood, technology, and sisterhood, what do you hope readers are still thinking about after they close the book?

Pornsak Pichetshote is having one hell of a year. He’s helping expand James Tynion IV and Michael Walsh’s Exquisite Corpses universe with Exquisite Corpses: Lone Gunman, while over at DC, Absolute Green Arrow has given him the chance to build a very different kind of mythology around one of comics’ most familiar mantles.
Today, the AIPT Comics Podcast brings you an unedited conversation with Pornsak. We dig into Lone Gunman, what happens to a final girl after she survives, the history behind that mysterious golden mask, the 13 Families, and how the series expands the world of Exquisite Corpses. Pornsak also talks about what working with James Tynion IV has taught him about writing comics and creating memorable new characters.
Then we get into spoiler territory for Absolute Green Arrow, including the Merlin reveal, why the original mystery was designed to resolve in six issues, and how the back half of the series operates almost like a sequel to that opening story. Pornsak also teases why Merlin was the right choice once we learn who makes up the other half of Green Arrow.
Plus, Dave and Alex recap the week in comics with reviews and news!
Visit our Patreon page to see the various tiers you can sign up for today to get in on the ground floor of AIPT Patreon. We hope to see you chatting with us on our Discord soon!
NEWS
IDW teases two major reveals for NYCC 2026 panel, reveals full signing schedule
Dark Horse Comics reveals NYCC 2026 signing schedule and booth plans
‘Something is Killing the Children’ #50 gets blind bags with mystery covers and trading cards
Zoe Thorogood and Joe Whiteford sink their teeth into ‘Vampire on Aisle 6’
Marvel reveals bloody new ‘Midnight’ art as universe tops 1 million orders
'AMAZING SPIDER-MAN' #1000 VARIANTS ALLOCATED
Joshua Williamson and Bruno Redondo announce ‘Batman: Justice Year’ at SDCC Málaga
Our Top Books of the Week:
Dave:
Tomb of Apocalypse #2 (Ashley Allen, Domenico Carbone)
Amazing Spider-Man #1000 (Various)
Alex:​​
Smart Division #2 (Zack Kaplan, John Pearson)
Aliens vs X-Men #1 (Gillen, Geraldo Borges)
Standout KAPOW moment of the week:
Alex: Uncanny X-Men #36 (Gail Simone, Luciano Vecchio)
Dave: Queen in Black #5 (Al Ewing, Iban Coello, Paco Medina)
TOP BOOKS FOR NEXT WEEK
Alex: All the Midnight #1s!
Dave: Demon #1 (James Harren Cover)
JUDGING BY THE COVER JR.
Dave: Batman: Bad Seeds - Streets of Gotham #1 (Javier Rodriguez Card Stock Cover)
Alex: Mike Mayhew Midnight X-Men #1
Interview: Pornsak Pichetshote - EXQUISITE CORPSES LONE GUNMAN #1 (OF 5) FOC Oct 12 - Release Date: Nov 4 - Day 2 Newsletter
Artist: Alberto Ponticelli; colors: Jordie Bellaire
You’ve described Lone Gunman as “Season 1.5” of Exquisite Corpses. What did you realize you needed to explore between the end of the first series and the beginning of Season 2 that made this story necessary?
Laura won the game, but surviving twelve killers doesn’t exactly mean she gets to live happily ever after. What interested you about treating the “Final Girl” as the beginning of a story rather than the end of one?
The golden mask was such a striking piece of the Lone Gunman mythology in Season 1. How much does digging into its history change what we thought we understood about the Lone Gunman and the game itself?
Two years have passed for Laura, Xavi, and Jason. They have money and seemingly escaped the Families, but they're still carrying what happened to them. How differently has each of them processed surviving that night?
You mentioned bringing lessons from Absolute Green Arrow into Lone Gunman. Those seem like very different books on the surface, so what have you learned writing Green Arrow that unexpectedly became useful when writing a horror story like this?
You’re working with Alberto Ponticelli again after Unknown Soldier, alongside Jordie Bellaire. Alberto has talked about bringing roughness, textures, and “dirty marks” to this world. What are those two bringing visually that makes this chapter of Exquisite Corpses feel distinct from Season 1?
For one fun one to wrap up: If surviving Exquisite Corpses earned Laura an actual two-year, all-expenses-paid vacation with absolutely zero killers, billionaires, or golden masks allowed, where would you send her, and what would she do with herself?

Ryan North has a knack for giving superheroes problems that their powers cannot easily solve. This week on the AIPT Comics Podcast, we’re running our full conversation with North as he catches us up on a busy year and a half that has included the end of One World Under Doom, the launch of Doomquest, his jump to DC with The Flash, and his continuing adventures with Marvel’s First Family.
North digs into the unlikely fever-fueled origin of Doomquest, why the series became a Doctor Doom character study, and the freedom that comes with dropping Victor into different moments in history. We also get into Wally West’s increasingly dangerous ability to prevent disasters before they happen, why joy remains essential to North’s take on the Flash, and how the Fantastic Four continue to open doors to wonderfully strange science-fiction stories.
The conversation goes even further into the challenges of writing ridiculously powerful heroes, North’s approach to continuity, superhero horror, his desire to make more creator-owned work, and the novel he’s been quietly working on. Plus, we somehow end up debating Doom, Reed Richards, and Wally West in an escape room, which sends North down a wonderfully bizarre escape-room rabbit hole.
Interview: Ryan North
Sep 23, 2026, The Flash #37
Releases Oct 21, 2026 Doomquest #5
Releases Sep 30, 2026 Fantastic Four #17
AIPT: The last time we had you on was back in February 2025, and quite a bit has happened since then. One World Under Doom has come and gone, Fantastic Four has kept rolling, and now you’ve added The Flash to your plate at DC. Looking back at everything that’s happened since we last talked, what’s the past year and a half been like for you creatively?
AIPT: Doomquest has almost felt like a series of tests for Doom, dropping him into different points in history and asking whether he can outthink everyone who came before him. But issue #4 does something crueler and gives Victor the chance to live a genuinely happy life with Valeria. Was confronting Doom with happiness always one of the destinations you wanted this series to reach?
AIPT: What I find fascinating about Doomquest is that Doom keeps getting opportunities to prove he's the smartest or most capable person in the room, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's becoming a better person. When you're writing him, where do you draw the line between Doom actually growing and Doom simply finding new evidence that he was right all along?
Why center your Star Trek story on the Pakled?
AIPT: Over in The Flash, Wally's "Flashes of Insight" have evolved to the point where he can glimpse what is about to happen and potentially prevent accidents and crimes before they occur. That sounds wonderful until you start thinking about the implications. Is the danger here less about whether Wally can save everyone and more about what happens to someone who starts believing he should?
AIPT: Your Wally is someone who genuinely loves being the Flash, which feels important because superhero comics can sometimes make being a hero seem completely miserable. How important is that joy to your version of Wally, especially as his ability to see and prevent disasters starts putting more responsibility on his shoulders?
AIPT: In Fantastic Four, you've been able to go from enormous cosmic and scientific problems to wonderfully strange ideas like the Future Foundation returning and Doom's technology leaking into the wider world. After writing these characters for this long, what still makes you stop and think, "I can't believe nobody has done this Fantastic Four story before"?
AIPT: You're currently writing Reed Richards, Doctor Doom, and Wally West, three characters who can approach impossible problems from very different directions. Do you find yourself thinking about them differently when constructing a story, or is there a common Ryan North rule for writing someone who can potentially break your plot if you give them five minutes to think?
Danger and Other Unknown Risks a fab creator owned title, do you have anything similar or in the creator owned realm in the works?
AIPT: Finally, something silly: Doom, Reed Richards, and Wally West are trapped in an escape room together. Who actually solves it, who insists they solved it first, and how quickly does the escape room regret letting these three people inside?

Earlier this week, AIPT revealed that Tom King and Daniel Sampere’s Wonder Woman run is coming to an end with issue #40 this December. Now, you can hear the full conversation behind that interview on the AIPT Comics Podcast.
Nearly two years after we last spoke with King and Sampere about their ambitious plans for Diana, the creative team returns to reflect on how those plans changed and what it means to finally approach the last page. King discusses an original vision that could have stretched to 100 issues, while Sampere looks back at how drawing Diana changed his approach to storytelling, particularly the quieter acting, expressions, and gestures that define her character.
The conversation also digs into Trinity’s evolution, Steve Trevor’s death and return, the Sovereign and Matriarch, and the qualities King and Sampere believe define Wonder Woman after spending years telling her story. With Wonder Woman #37 beginning the final stretch and issue #40 set for December 16, this is the full audio chat about bringing their run home.
Visit our Patreon page to see the various tiers you can sign up for today to get in on the ground floor of AIPT Patreon. We hope to see you chatting with us on our Discord soon!
NEWS
Marvel NYCC Plans
DC NYCC Plans
DC December 2026 solicitationsWonder Woman arc ends with #40

‘Fantastic Four: First Foes’ finale introduces the Wizard and Frightful Four
Marvel unveils ‘Black Widow: Black, White & Red Room’ for December 2026
Marvel reveals Miracleman’s new era with two ‘Avengers: Armageddon’ covers
Miracleman joins the Avengers for November 2026 relaunch
Exclusive: ‘The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror’ gets complete 3-volume omnibus box set
Disney’s beloved 1973 animated classic returns 50 years later for ‘Robin Hood’
Exclusive: Francesco Francavilla sets sail with ‘Vengeance Unchained: The Legend of Black Caesar’ cover
'The Princess Murders' ble nds slasher horror, dark comedy, and fairy tale satire
Our Top Books of the Week:
Dave:
Avengers: Armageddon #4 (Chip Zdarsky, Delio Diaz & Frank Alpizar)
Ofiusa #1 (Guillem March)
Chris:​​
Regicide #2 (Patrick Kindlon, Ludovic Lalliat)
The Patron #2 (Christian Ward, John Pearson)
Standout KAPOW moment of the week:
Chris: Exquisite Corpses: Fox Mask Killer #1 (Che Grayson, Adam Gorham)
Dave: Avengers: Armageddon #4 (Chip Zdarsky, Delio Diaz & Frank Alpizar)
TOP BOOKS FOR NEXT WEEK
Chris: Star Trek #1 (Christopher Cantwell, Dennis Menheere)
Dave: Muppets Take the Marvel Universe #1 (Various)
JUDGING BY THE COVER JR.
Dave: Universal Monsters: Blood of the Wolf Man #4 (Mike Del Mundo Cover)
Chris: Marvel Mangaverse: Ghostlocke #1 (Yuji Kaku Main)
Interview: Wonder Woman - End of Tom King and Daniel Sampere’s run
With Wonder Woman #40 officially ending your run on December 16, how much of that final issue resembles the ending you envisioned when you first started the book? Were there pieces of the finale you already knew back at issue #1?
One thing that has defined this run is Diana’s ability to be incredibly powerful without losing her compassion. In #37, she’s fighting a giant monster while calmly teaching two babies a lesson. What did you identify early on as the essential qualities of Wonder Woman that you never wanted to lose?
Daniel, knowing #40 is your final issue, did you approach drawing it differently? Was there a feeling of, "This might be my last chance to draw Diana doing this," that pushed you toward certain images or ideas?
Steve Trevor’s death hung over the book for a long time, so seeing Diana finally reunite with him in #37 carries a lot of weight. How did you approach that reunion after keeping Diana and Steve apart for so long?
Trinity has gone from a mysterious new character to someone deeply embedded in Diana and Steve’s story. Looking back now, what surprised you most about who Trinity became compared to the character you originally imagined?
The Matriarch is literally going through Hell in the upcoming special, while #39 brings the Sovereign back before the finale. How does the Matriarch’s relationship with her father reflect or complicate what you explored through the Sovereign earlier in the run?
When readers close Wonder Woman #40 on December 16, what do you hope they understand about your version of Diana that perhaps wasn’t as clear when the run began? Is there something about the run that you think will take on a different meaning once the full story is known?

This week, Michael Walsh joins the AIPT Comics Podcast to talk Jonah Hex and the Shadow of Death, his new DC Next Level series launching October 7. Walsh digs into bringing horror to the Old West, exploring an older Jonah Hex wrestling with his past, building new supernatural mythology into the DC Universe, and the influences behind his take on the legendary gunslinger. We also get into Exquisite Corpses, including how the writers’ room shaped Walsh as a storyteller, his role overseeing the current spinoffs, and some early teases about what he and James Tynion IV are cooking up for Season 2.
Before that, Dave and Chris Coplan break down the week’s biggest comics news, including the Amazing Spider-Man #1000 preview and DC extending The Fury of Firestorm. Then it’s our favorite comics of the week, standout KAPOW moments, the books we’re most excited about next week, and Judging by the Cover Jr., featuring some of the best cover art hitting shelves.
Visit our Patreon page to see the various tiers you can sign up for today to get in on the ground floor of AIPT Patreon. We hope to see you chatting with us on our Discord soon!
NEWS
Marvel reveals ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ #1000 preview with Aunt May shockerAnd TRIPLE H is writing a story!?

Symbie’s origins will be revealed in upcoming one-shot
DC extends ‘The Fury of Firestorm’ through issue #15
Rob Liefeld gets in on Midnight Universe gimmick with ‘Avengelyne’ #1 Midnight Variant
Our Top Books of the Week:
Dave:
The Forever Home #1 (Christian Ward, Sami Kivelä)
Doomquest #4 (Ryan North, Francesco Mobili)
Chris:​​
The Karman Blade #1 (DVP, Ian Bertram)
Chachu #2 (Iman Vellani, Marianna Ignazzi)
Standout KAPOW moment of the week:
Chris: Hellraiser: Resurrections — The Onanistic Ritual #1 (Zac Thompson, Gavin Mitchell)
Dave: Spawn '77 #1 (Mark Spears, Todd McFarlane)
TOP BOOKS FOR NEXT WEEK
Chris: Batman Day 2026: Batman of Two Worlds #1 (Matt Fraction, Javier Fernandez)
Dave: Exquisite Corpses: Fox Mask Killer #1 (Che Grayson, Adam Gorham)
JUDGING BY THE COVER JR.
Dave: A Mischief of Magpies #2 (Matias Bergara 5 Copy Cover)
Chris: The Patron #2 (John Pearson Variant B)
Interview: Michael Walsh - Jonah Hex and the Shadow of Death #1, out Oct 7, FOC Sept 14
AIPT: You’ve described yourself as a horror creator, but Jonah Hex isn’t traditionally the first DC character people associate with horror. What did you see in Jonah that made you think he could be a genuinely great horror character?
AIPT: This is an older Jonah Hex whose days as a bounty hunter seemingly ended some time ago. What interested you about meeting him at this stage of his life instead of telling another story about Hex in his prime?
AIPT: The solicitation describes Jonah’s life as one of “bloodshed, pain, and guilt,” and redemption seems central to this story. Does Jonah actually believe he deserves redemption, or is taking on this threat more about finally finding something worth dying for?
AIPT: The evil arriving in Ashecott is described as something older than the town and from beyond the world its residents know. How do you introduce something truly supernatural without losing the dirt, grit, and grounded quality that makes a Jonah Hex Western feel like Jonah Hex?
AIPT: We’re still waiting for season two of Exquisite Corpses, so I have to sneak one in. After building that world collaboratively with so many creators, did anything about that experience change the way you approached writing, drawing, or surprising readers on Jonah Hex and the Shadow of Death?
AIPT: Finally, Jonah Hex gets dropped into an Exquisite Corpses-style killing competition. No guns allowed. What completely inappropriate weapon are you giving him, and how far does he make it?