Rodney Barnes Kicks Off Superfan Podcast Talking Stephen King
What do the people who create your favorite comics obsess over when they’re not writing or drawing panels? That’s the hook of the brand-new Superfan Podcast, which debuted September 19. The first episode brings together Peabody Award-winning screenwriter and Killadelphia creator Rodney Barnes with co-hosts Christian Gossett, Kristen Simon, and David Hyde to talk about Barnes’s lifelong admiration for the one and only Stephen King.
In the debut, Barnes digs into what makes a Stephen King story resonate, from the uncanny small-town horrors to the way King’s novels double as portraits of American life. He also shares how working up close with King on The Green Mile changed his own creative trajectory in ways he never expected.
Barnes’s passion for King is just the start of what promises to be a season full of surprising detours into the obsessions of top comics talent. Later episodes feature Marc Guggenheim on Billy Joel, Kelly Sue DeConnick on Alan Alda, Matt Kindt on John le Carré, Marjorie Liu on gardening, and Patrick McDonnell on Frank Zappa. Each conversation comes with a themed recipe and drink pairing to match the topic.
“The fun of this show is that we’re not just talking about comics,” Hyde said. “These are deep, personal conversations where guests open up about the things that fuel them. And almost always, we stumble into unexpected rabbit holes.”
Season one also comes with original guest portraits by Gossett, a mid-century inspired logo by Criswell Lappin, and a theme song from Low in the Shag (featuring members who’ve played with Garbage, Jane’s Addiction, and Alice Cooper).
For horror fans, the premiere is especially notable: Rodney Barnes on Stephen King is the kind of crossover conversation that peels back what makes the King of Horror so enduring — and how his influence shapes storytellers across mediums.
Episodes of the Superfan Podcast will be available on Spotify, Amazon Music/Audible, YouTube, and the show’s website. More information, behind-the-scenes extras, recipes, and notes can be found via the Superfan Signal Substack.
