My guest this episode is someone you know even though you don’t know you know him — because, among many others things, Chris Kalb, artist, art director, and pulp magazine maven, designed the podcast icon for Eating the Fantastic, so you met him when you clicked on that flying saucer hoovering up a donut, burger, and chicken leg with its tractor beam. He’s also designed covers for two of my short story collections — the horror collection These Words are Haunted, and my recent science fiction one, 101 Things to Do Before You’re Downloaded.

But Chris is a lot more than the projects he was willing to tackle for me. He’s a Charles M. Schulz Award-winning cartoonist and designer whose work has appeared in books and magazines, on TV and online, and in educational content for the last 35 years. His illustrations have appeared in such books such as ‘Scuse Me While I Kiss This Guy and Other Misheard Lyrics, Cooking Rocks: Rachael Ray 30-Minute Meals for Kids, and He Loved Me, He Loves Me Not. That last title, written by comedienne Lynn Harris, spawned the relationship super-hero Breakup Girl, whose subsequent internet advice column and web-comic (one of the first!) were adapted for TV by Oxygen when they launched in 2000.

From 2001-2008, Chris was the designer of the Syfy Channel magazine during the station’s peak period. For the last 13 years, Chris has been using all of his combined talents in storytelling, art, design and coding to craft innovative classroom experiences for Amplify Education, a pioneer in digital curriculum.

Chris has also been a life-long fan of pulp characters such Doc Savage, The Spider, Operator #5, and G-8 and His Battle Aces. Beginning in 2007, he has been able to give back to pulp fandom as the art director and publisher of Age of Aces Books, reprinting the very best in aviation pulp fiction from titles like Daredevil Aces, Sky Birds, Wings, and Flying Aces.

We discussed the comic book company and superheroes he and his brother created when they were just kids, why he once thought Chris Ware was his nemesis, the Batman comic which influenced him the most, how his father caused him to fall in love with Doc Savage, the secret origin of his romantic advice superheroine Breakup Girl, the sophistication  of pulp era writing, one theory as to why Doc Savage never made it as a successful comic book series, the college comic strip which won him a Charles M. Schulz Award, the problem the slabbing of pulps has caused within the collecting community, the pulp premium so rare none may have survived, and much more.

Here’s how you can join us at Veselka — (more…)

The L.A Worldcon will shortly be opening nominations for the Hugo Awards, the Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book, and the Astounding Award for Best New Writer. If you’re eligible to nominate, I hope you’ll consider my Eating the Fantastic podcast in the category of Best Fancast.

Last year, you were invited to eavesdrop on 28 conversations with creators of the fantastic. Below are links to all 2025 episodes so you can have a taste and decide whether the podcast — which launched 10 years ago today — is your kind of ear candy. I hope you enjoy your time at my tables!

Split a pastrami sandwich with Martha Thomases in Episode 244 of Eating the Fantastic

Share shawarma with the award-winning Eric Choi in Episode 245 of Eating the Fantastic

Munch on pepper chicken masala with Larry Hama in Episode 246 of Eating the Fantastic

Chat and chew with Shannon Robinson on Episode 247 of Eating the Fantastic

Have a Nashville hot chicken sandwich with Robert Greenberger in Episode 248 of Eating the Fantastic

Mangia mussels in Baltimore’s Little Italy with David Simmons in Episode 249 of Eating the Fantastic

Rip into roti with writer Tim Paggi in Episode 250 of Eating the Fantastic

Wolf down lamb with Carolyn Ives Gilman in Episode 251 of Eating the Fantastic

Pig out on pork belly with Jarrett Melendez in Episode 252 of Eating the Fantastic

Break for brunch with writer Adeena Mignogna on Episode 253 of Eating the Fantastic

Toast writer/editor Craig Laurance Gidney on Episode 254 of Eating the Fantastic

Feast on oysters with Kemi Ashing-Giwa in Episode 255 of Eating the Fantastic

Bite into blueberry pancakes with Silvia Moreno-Garcia in Episode 256 of Eating the Fantastic

Devour a seafood tower with Samantha Mills in Episode 257 of Eating the Fantastic

Binge on burnt ends with Aimee Ogden in Episode 258 of Eating the Fantastic

Pig out on pork belly with Curtis C. Chen in Episode 259 of Eating the Fantastic

Rip into a lobster roll with Benjamin Rosenbaum in Episode 260 of Eating the Fantastic

Slurp ramen with Mur Lafferty on Episode 261 of Eating the Fantastic

Bite into Cheesy Pav Bhaji with Karen Heuler in Episode 262 of Eating the Fantastic

Tear into tacos with Richard Butner on Episode 263 of Eating the Fantastic

Slurp soup dumplings with Eugenia Triantafyllou on Episode 264 of Eating the Fantastic

Tackle Texas BBQ with John Picacio on Episode 265 of Eating the Fantastic

Polish off pasta with Lara Elena Donnelly in Episode 266 of Eating the Fantastic

Brunch on blueberry pancakes with Natalia Theodoridou in Episode 267 of Eating the Fantastic

Settle in for an Ethiopian feast with Alaya Dawn Johnson in Episode 268 of Eating the Fantastic

Sample samsa with Naomi Kritzer on Episode 269 of Eating the Fantastic

Savor shrimp — and Steve Ditko — with comics writer/editor Jack C. Harris on Episode 270 of Eating the Fantastic

Dish over dumplings with George Gene Gustines in Episode 271 of Eating the Fantastic

I thank you for your consideration!

This time around, I dream of Action Comics #1, consider how the death of Sal Buscema has me thinking of Vinnie Colletta, decide Jim Salicrup will outlive us all, regret my near-miss with Jim Mooney during my honeymoon, remember the time Mike Friedrich threatened to punch me in the nose, and more.

You can eavesdrop on all those memories via the embed below or download them at the site of your choice.

Here are a few images related to a couple of the topics I mention this episode —

What I looked like the honeymoon weekend
I failed to meet Jim Mooney

Jim Mooney’s splash page for Omega the Unknown #7 (March 1997)

Gerry Conway’s thoughts on our first meeting
with art by Alan Weiss

Don Heck draws my Supergirl
from Superman Family #194 (April 1979)