Countdown to Comic Con Revolution
Featuring cartoonist Stephan Franck!
As we enter the last two weeks before Comic Con Revolution in Ontario, California, we’d like to spotlight the two amazing guests who will be on our Superfan Podcast panel. The panel is called We Are All Superfans, and it’s on Saturday, May 17th, at 3:30 p.m. in Room 200C. Christian Gossett and Kris Simon will co-host the panel, which will be recorded.
Our two panelists are Stephan Franck and Ray Anthony Height. Let’s talk a little bit about Stephan Franck, first! We’ll spotlight Ray in next week’s Substack, so don’t miss it!
Stephan Franck is an Annie award-nominated animator/writer/director/ who most recently directed multiple episodes of Marvel Studios’ “WHAT IF…?” series on Disney+. He was a supervising animator on the cult classic animated movie THE IRON GIANT, and contributed story to DESPICABLE ME. He co-created the animated TV series CORNEIL & BERNIE, and received an Annie Award nomination for Best Director in a TV Program for the featurette SMURFS: THE LEGEND OF SMURFY HOLLOW.
As if that’s not enough, Stephan is also a force in the comics industry! He founded his own publishing company, DARK PLANET COMICS. There, he self-published his debut graphic novel, SILVER, which immediately earned him a nomination for the prestigious Russ Manning Award at San Diego Comic Con’s Eisner Awards. He didn’t stop there. He followed up with Silver’s prequel, ROSALYND, and then the L.A. crime series PALOMINO, which was nominated for a Ringo Award. Volumes 2 and 3 of Palomino were successfully crowdfunded this past March, and Volumes 4 and 5 are set to launch on Kickstarter very soon! If you want to support the project and jump on board, you’ll be able to get all the volumes at once (plus the rest of his available titles, including ROMANCE IN THE AGE OF THE SPACE GOD) with this latest crowdfunding effort. Click here to be notified of the launch! The Kickstarter will feature copies of all five available volumes of Palomino, as well as PALOMINO, 1981 box sets, slipcases, and signed book plates from the in-world fictional syndication catalog of Lamaz Television.
“There are certain eternal themes that always seem to come back in my stories,” said Franck. “One of them is family, in all its forms. Whether it’s a father/daughter detective duo in a generational crime-mystery in PALOMINO, or two foster siblings like in ROMANCE IN THE AGE OF THE SPACE GOD, or even a ‘family by choice’ like in SILVER where a band of misfits find each other to recreate a family unit and steal from a castle full of vampires, it’s always an affirmation that — even in worlds that are amoral, cynical and transactional — there are people who will always have your back. It’s on you to find them, let them help you, and never let them go. The core idea is that we’re not alone, and I think that’s something we can all relate to.”
Speaking of the idea that we’re not alone, we will divulge the topic that Stephan is a Superfan of, which we will discuss on the Superfan Podcast panel at Comic Con Revolution. Usually, we would wait to reveal it, but seeing as this is a live recording, if you’re also a Superfan of this topic, are an LA local, or are attending the show, we want to make sure you’re given the opportunity to see the panel.
Stephan’s Superfan topic is aliens! What about aliens, specifically? You’ll just have to join us, or tune in to the episode when it airs. Advance tickets are still available, get them now! As for us, we’re busy crafting a cocktail and a dessert that pairs well with beings from another world!
Follow Stephan Franck on Instagram, Bluesky, and Dark Planet Comics on X, Facebook, and Instagram.
Thank you for joining us on this podcast journey. Please be sure to like, share, and subscribe! You can find us on the socials at Instagram, Bluesky, Facebook, and X! Soon, you’ll be able to see the podcast on our YouTube channel as well. Follow it now so you don’t miss out!
Special thanks to our Season One sponsor, the amazing Fanbase Press! Fanbase Press is a GLAAD Media Award-winning and Eisner and Harvey Awards-nominated comic book publisher that celebrates super fandoms and creates new ones! #StoriesMatter.
