Joshua Spiller Talks Hello Darkness, EC Cruel Universe & more... | Comic Crusaders Podcast #717

Joshua Spiller is stepping into the comics spotlight with the kind of momentum every emerging creator dreams about but only earns through persistence, craft, and surviving the long haunted hallway of submissions, revisions, rejections, and creative self-belief.

On this episode of Comic Crusaders, Al Mega welcomes comics writer Joshua Spiller to discuss a major breakthrough moment in his career: his first professional comics stories landing with BOOM! Studios, Oni Press/EC Comics, and Humanoids. For any writer fighting to move from “I’m working on something” to “my work is on shelves,” Josh’s journey is the kind of real-world creator story that hits with inspiration and honesty.

Josh’s story “Sweet Couple, Sick Society” appears in BOOM! Studios’ Hello Darkness #21, a mystery and thriller-themed anthology issue featuring a lineup of sharp creative talent. His work also appears in EC – Cruel Universe 2 #11 from Oni Press, continuing the bold new era of EC Comics storytelling with sci-fi dread, cosmic horror, technological unease, and that classic EC reminder that humanity is often its own worst monster.

The conversation dives into what it takes to write short comics that land fast and hit hard. Anthology storytelling is a unique beast. There is no room for wasted motion, no space for a slow warmup, and absolutely no mercy for flabby ideas. Every panel has to work. Every line has to carry weight. Every ending has to feel earned. Josh and Al discuss the craft behind that pressure, the joy of collaboration, the challenge of trusting artists and letterers, and how a writer learns to leave room for the visual magic that makes comics comics.

They also talk about the larger comics industry, especially what it means for newer voices trying to break in today. From indie projects and UK comics roots to American publishers and upcoming work with Métal Hurlant through Humanoids, Josh represents a creator path built not on overnight success, but on endurance, curiosity, and the willingness to keep putting stories into the world until the right doors open.

This is a conversation for writers, artists, comic fans, anthology lovers, horror readers, sci-fi freaks, and every creator sitting on a script wondering if the next submission could be the one. The answer is simple: keep going. The page only works if you show up.

Listen to the full conversation with Joshua Spiller on Comic Crusaders and make sure to support Hello Darkness #21 from BOOM! Studios and EC – Cruel Universe 2 #11 from Oni Press/EC Comics. The next wave of comics voices is already here, and Josh Spiller is one to watch.

Website:
joshuaspiller.com

X:
@joshspiller

Instagram:
joshua_spiller

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Host: Al Mega

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Author Profile

Al Mega: I'm Al Mega the CEO of Comic Crusaders, CEO of the Undercover Capes Podcast Network, CEO of Geekery Magazine & Owner of Splintered Press (coming soon). I'm a fan of comics, cartoons and old school video games. Make sure to check out our podcasts/vidcasts and more!