Aaron NabusHall H Show host Aaron Nabus talks to writer and comic book creator, Gabe Cheng about his comic book, The Problem with Parallels. This episode is also available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, iHeart Radio, Deezer, Amazon Music, and Spotify. The Hall H Show is hosted by Aaron Nabus and Alex Benedicto and is the “Voice of Independent Creators.”
Show Notes:
Hello fellow nerds, geeks and supporters of indie pop culture creators! Aaron Nabus here and thanks for listening to the Hall H Show!
On this episode of the Hall H Show, we welcome back former high school teacher turned writer, Gabe Cheng!
He was previously on episode 112 where we discussed his comic book, For Molly.
He currently has a Kickstarter campaign going on for his newest comic book, The Problem with Parallels (Wednesday, 2/16/22 – Wednesday, 3/2/22)!
Not only do we chat about his new comic book, but we also touch on his love for the Simpsons, Futurama, The Expanse, Neil Gaiman, Cowboy Bebop and so much more!
Welcome back to the Hall H Show, Gabe!
Thunder Round Questions:
- We talked about this the last time you were on the show, and you answered that an alternate version of you in another universe would have continued to become a college football player. Since we’re talking about your new book, The Problem with Parallels, what are some other possible alternate versions of yourself doing right now?
- What the heck is a “Philly Taco?”
- I know you are a big Baltimore Ravens fan. I used to be a San Diego Chargers fan…but since they left for L.A., I’m without a team. Why should I switch to the Ravens?
- What music album, TV show, movie, and book would give our audience a good sense of who you are?
- What’s your kryptonite?
- There seems to be a massive disconnect when it comes to the “big two” (Marvel and DC) when looking at their box office revenue and the revenue from their respective comic books. What do you think could be done to better bridge the gap?
- What word would you use to describe yourself? What word do you think other people might use to describe you?
- If you could teleport to anywhere in the world right now, where would you go? Why did you pick this place?
- What’s more important – originality or giving readers or an audience what they want?
- Being a John Cho fan, what did you think of the Netflix live action adaptation of Cowboy Bebop?
- If you could tell your younger self (when you were a senior in high school) one thing, what would it be?
- The main character in your newest, comic book, The Problem with Parallels like to eat the “perfect cheeseburgers” made from a machine. What would be Raphael’s perfect cheeseburger and what would be yours?
The Problem with Parallels Questions:
- If you were at a comic convention promoting The Problem with Parallels, what would be your pitch to people walking by?
- And while we are on the subject, what strategies do you employ at cons so you can have better engagement with attendees?
- How long have you been working on this story and was there a particular event that helped direct you to this particular story?
- How many total issues do you envision for The Problem with Parallels?
- Could you tell us about a few of the main characters? Are they based on anyone you know personally…and if so, are they from our universe or a parallel universe?
- Were there any creative challenges that you had difficulty resolving? If so, what were they and how did you overcome them?
- Who is on the creative team and how did you find them?
- How do you know that you’ve found the right people for your creative team?
- Any details about the Kickstarter that you’d like to highlight?
- I only know surface level information about NFTs and Cryptocurrency, but Kickstarter has been trending lately especially since C. Spike Trotman (someone that has successfully crowdfunded over 30 projects and raised over $2.5 million) decided to not use Kickstarter anymore over concerns of not having adequate info on how blockchain technology will fit into their future plans (I know there are also environmental concerns over certain types of cryptocurrency)? What’s your take on this situation?
- Is there anything else that you’d like to add concerning The Problem with Parallels and the Kickstarter campaign?
Closing Question:
You made a switch from being a teacher to a writer. What kind of advice can you give to someone that is struggling to give their creative side a chance to flourish but is still working a full time job in a “traditional” career to make ends Sometimes the ideas just don’t seem to flow and you’re staring at a blank page for a long time. As a writer, how do you combat “writer’s block?”
Follow Gabe Cheng:
Follow Elisa Meneghel (artist for The Problem with Parallels):
Thank YOU:
Thank YOU for listening to the Hall H Show podcast! I’m happy and humbled when I find out people support a project or start to follow one of our guests because of one of our episodes. So thank you so much for your continued support.
And, thanks to my guest, Gabe Cheng. Please give him a follow and consider supporting his newest comic book, The Problem with Parallels, which is available now on Kickstarter until Wednesday, March 2, 2022! Even just sharing the Kickstarter link on social media helps a ton!
We love putting the spotlight on independent pop culture creatives, like Gabe. Have a suggestion for a potential guest? Please let us know by reaching out to us on any of our social media accounts or our contact form.
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Peace, cheers, and stay safe out there!
