The Hall H Show – The Voice of Independent Creators

On this episode, host, Aaron Nabus talks to the creator of the 80's anime inspired, Black Lion and Cubs, Hotep! Born in New York City in the 1970s, Hotep is the personification of the progress made during the civil rights movements, the birth of Hip-Hop music, and the emergence of Black culture in American society. After graduating from Morehouse College, he became one of the only Black, male kindergarten teachers in his district. There, he learned first-hand how powerful and influential media is on the human mind and psyche. Today, Hotep is a consultant to schools across the United States, a father of 2 and producer of several different types of media including: books, cartoons, films, music and video games. His most recent creation, a family-friendly anime series called Black Lion and Cubs is a perfect example of why his work has earned him nominations for the Presidential Citizen's Award and as a CNN Hero.  The Black Lion and Cubs universe incorporates, for now, a cartoon series, videogame, album, graphic novels, and motion manga series. I had the pleasure of meeting him at Black Comix Day 2024 in San Diego, CA where he was part of the panel that I moderated that touched on Black Culture in Anime and Manga. He currently has an active Kickstarter campaign going on until March 3, 2025 for his newest project – an anime short film about one of the characters from the Black Lion and Cubs universe, the Amazing Ariyah. Welcome to the show, Hotep!  

2/19/25 • 62:17

Joining Hall H Show host, Aaron Nabus, for the first episode of 2025, is a good friend of the podcast, the creator and writer of the comic book, ©alifornia, Inc., Arthur N. Ebuen! He returns to give an amazing conversation that's full of insight as a creator (from his standpoint as a marketer and comic book creator) and also to discuss the fourth and final issue of the current arc of ©alifornia, Inc. – which is currently on Kickstarter until February 13 2025. If you ever wondered, "What if California became its own corporate nation?" then you'll definitely want to pick up this book! Welcome back to the show, Arthur!  

2/6/25 • 73:08

On this episode, Hall H Show host, Aaron Nabus talks to Noble Ward, a comic writer of several indie books including The Stronger and Vegas Baby: Architect of the Improbable. He is the winner of multiple comic awards and the founder of StarWard comics. Vegas Baby has an active Kickstarter campaign going on for the definitive collection of the first four issues until October 26, 2024. Welcome to the show, Noble!  

10/21/24 • 79:36

On this episode, Hall H Show host, Aaron Nabus talks to the Co-Founder and President of Fanbase Press, Bryant Dillon! As reported recently by Comics Beat, Fanbase Press, after 15 years of celebrating a diverse range of creators and stories, has decided to launch their first Kickstarter campaign for the deluxe hardcover edition of Ripple Effects, a 2023 Dwayne McDuffie Award winner for Diversity in Comics and the winner of the 25th annual Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award for graphic novels and comics! You can listen to Aaron's conversation with Jordan Hart, the writer and creator of Ripple Effects, which was also nominated for an Eisner Award in 2023, on episode 121 of the Hall H Show. For this episode, get to know Bryant better, learn more details about the Kickstarter campaign, and also dive deeper into Fanbase Press's journey over the past 15 years – especially on their impact on the indie comic scene. Welcome to the show Bryant!  

7/23/24 • 71:53

On this episode, host, Aaron Nabus welcomes back a previous guest, the writer and creator of the comic book, Stealth Hammer, Ryan Drost! Stealth Hammer is an all ages indie comic book that mixes elements of science and technology with adventure, magic, mythology and has an active Kickstarter campaign going on until May 7, 2024 for the newest issue, Stealth Hammer - The Guardian and The Guide. Welcome back to the show, Ryan!

5/2/24 • 73:03

Roel Mislan joins Hall H Show hosts, Aaron Nabus and Alex Benedicto to talk about his journey as an educator, cosplayer, and gamer. Roel will be part of the "ESports and Emotional Intelligence: How Gaming Can Boost Your Social/Emotional Learning Skills" panel;  which takes place at WonderCon 2024; on Friday; March 29, 2024; 8:00pm - 9:00pm PDT; Room 209.  

3/26/24 • 56:17

Brian J. Lambert from Wingless Comics makes his return to the Hall H Show and discusses his newest and most ambitious project to date, Air Force Ones, with host, Aaron Nabus.

2/26/24 • 82:54

Have you ever wondered, "What if California became its own corporate nation?" Arthur Ebuen has, with his comic book, ©alifornia, Inc., which has an active Kickstarter campaign for issue #2 that ends on Friday, September 15, 2023. Arthur talks about his comic book, his start as an animator on Futurama and The Simpsons, working as a graphic designer and creative director and developing his love of writing, and so much more on episode 125 of the Hall H Show (with hosts, Aaron Nabus and Alex Benedicto)!

9/6/23 • 89:53

Hello fellow nerds, geeks and supporters of indie pop culture creators! Aaron Nabus here and thank you so much for tuning into the Hall H Show! Joining me on this episode is the multi-talented Neal Hallford! I know him as a filmmaker, fellow sponsor of the International Mobile Film Festival (which takes place in San Diego, CA on April 29 and 30, 2023), comic convention panel moderator, and Co-Executive Producers (with his wife, Jana) at Swords & Circuitry where they produce the audio drama, Uncharted Regions as well as indie movies such as The Case of Evil. He also is well known for being a lead designer and lead writer for various video games. One such game is Betrayal at Krondor. This year, Betrayal at Krondor will be celebrating its 30th anniversary and Neal has created a Betrayal at Krondor – Fan Film Challenge to coincide with it. Submissions are now open and will run through May 12, 2023. Welcome to the show, Neal!  

3/25/23 • 92:06

Hello fellow nerds, geeks and supporters of indie pop culture creators! Aaron Nabus here and thanks for tuning into the Hall H Show! On this episode, we welcome Ryan Drost, the creator and writer of Stealth Hammer, an all ages indie comic book that mixes elements of science and technology with adventure, magic, mythology.

3/19/23 • 94:21

Aaron Nabus here and joining us on this episode is HallH.com co-founder, Alex Benedicto and our good friend, Keithan Jones, the owner of KID Comics, creator of The Power Knights, and the founder of Black Comix Day! Black Comix Day is a free event that takes place on February 11 and 12, 2023 at the at the World Beat Center in Balboa Park, in San Diego, CA. It's been a while since we've had Keithan on (Episode 53 back in 2019), so we had a lot to catch up on and talk about. Welcome back to the Hall H Show Keithan!  

2/8/23 • 122:42

On this episode, host, Aaron Nabus talks to Jordan Hart, the creator, writer and colorist of the comic book, Ripple Effects. Published by Fanbase Press, Ripple Effects explores how a down on his luck aspiring writer struggles to find balance as he navigates daily life, social challenges, high healthcare costs, and the responsibilities and insecurities that manifest while having both a superpower and an invisible illness (Type 1 Diabetes).November is National Diabetes Month here in the United States and the trade paperback version of Ripple Effects will also be released on November, 15, 2022 so we're honored to have Jordan on this episode to discuss both topics and so much more! Welcome to the Hall H Show, Jordan!

11/24/22 • 77:48

Hello fellow nerds, geeks and supporters of indie pop culture creators! Aaron Nabus here and thanks for tuning into the Hall H Show! In this episode, we welcome Twitch streamer, co-host of the Movie Retakes Podcast, and friend to nerds everywhere, Chris Sully (also known as Sully to the pop culture world)!I first met Sully when he was still doing the NerdFu Podcast with Steve Araujo and followed his journey from Funko Fanatic to working for Funko, (where he was part of the marketing team and also co-hosted the Funko Funkast), then to Twitch, where he is now a Twitch Partner, providing hours of pop culture and video game content while interacting with his followers on his channel. We cover a lot in this episode: How he was a huge inspiration and resource for the creation of the Hall H Show podcast. Thinking like a business and building a brand. What kind of pop culture he was into at an early age. Video games (like Atari's Yars Revenge) Pivoting and finding success after being laid off from Funko. His journey into exploring digital illustrations. The value of being positive and having a high emotional IQ. Fundraising for good causes. NFTs What he likes to sing in the shower. What his ultimate pizza toppings are. What songs would be on a road trip playlist (did Katy Perry make the cut?) Twitch streaming advice. Creating the Nerds Unite brand and more!

11/15/22 • 61:53

On this episode, we welcome someone that we've gotten to know from Black Comix Day throughout the years, Brian J. Lambert from Wingless Entertainment! He currently has a Kickstarter campaign going on until Friday, March 18, 2022 for his newest comic book, the finale for Nightfall – a crossover event of over 50 pages of superhero team action to rival what you can find from Marvel's Avengers. This was an engaging conversation between Brian and host, Aaron Nabus. They talk about his creative journey, Nightfall, comics, pop culture (even touching on Superman vs. Muhammad Ali, General Hospital and WWF), writing and comic creating advice, and so much more!

3/9/22 • 85:19

On this episode of the Hall H Show, host, Aaron Nabus welcomes 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 show, Gabe!

2/18/22 • 91:32

We're starting off our first podcast of 2022 with someone that's no stranger to the show, Jason Inman! We last had him on episode 95 with Ashley Victoria Robinson where they talked about their comic book Jupiter Jet and the Forgotten Radio. Jason also appeared on episode 69 where he talked about his terrific book called Super Soldiers: A Salute to the Comic Book Heroes and Villains Who Fought for Their Country – which even got a shout out from Dan Ackroyd! Speaking of "Terrific," Jason's homage to Superman, Captain Terrific first appeared in issue #1 of Jason's comic book, Super Best Friend, which debuted in Spring of 2021. Issue #2 currently has an active Kickstarter campaign until the morning of March 3, 2022 and it's off to an amazing start, having been fully funded in just 10 hours after it's launch!  Jason talks with host Aaron Nabus about his new comic book, pop culture, writing advice and so much more!

2/14/22 • 57:10

On this episode, hosts, Aaron Nabus and Alex Benedicto talk to a good friend of the show, the talented artist, Daniel Jamies at the iN Gallery, the location of Comics & Cosplay 2 – a Comic Themed Group Artshow, which will be happening on Saturday, November 20, 2021 – a week before San Diego Comic-Con Special Edition. Daniel previously appeared on episode 90 of the Hall H Show with iN Gallery owner, Irina Negulescu to talk about the inaugural Comics & Cosplay event that happened back in September of 2020.

11/15/21 • 53:04

On this episode, we welcome digital content creator and knowledge sharer, Ant Pruitt. He's part of the TWiT.tv family as the host/producer of Hands On Photography. He also describes himself as  33% geek, 33% nerd, 33% dork. Other 1% TBD. We'll definitely explore all of that on this conversation and hopefully we can find out what that remaining 1% is. He not only provides helpful advice for digital content creators just starting out, but he also talks about childhood memories of growing up with Chadwick Boseman, Star Wars and so much more! Welcome to the show, Ant!

10/11/21 • 108:06

Hello fellow nerds, geeks and supporters of indie pop culture creators! Aaron Nabus here and welcome to the Hall H Show! I first met our next guest, Don Nguyen, back in late 2019 at Golden Apple Comics in Los Angeles, CA at an event organized by one of our previous guests, Omar Mora. Since then, he's been really active not only honing his craft and working on a ton of projects, but also promoting other creator's work – which I think deserves extra kudos. He has his own creator owned comic book called Pablo the Gorilla and he was part of very popular Black Lives Matter art campaign in 2020 that was spearheaded by The Punisher creator, Gerry Conway. Welcome to the show, Don!

9/9/21 • 129:37

On this episode, host Aaron Nabus talks to Stephanie Cooke, an award-winning writer and editor based out of Toronto, Canada. She loves comic books, video games, movies, puns and her snuggly cat (that she's unfortunately terribly allergic to). Her writing has been featured in Mark Millar's ​​Millarworld Annual, Wayward Sisters, The Secret Loves of Geek Girls, Toronto Comics Anthology, and more. She currently has two children's graphic novels out now from HMH Kids, her debut, Oh My Gods! and ParaNorthern, which just recently came out.  A sequel to Oh My Gods! is scheduled to be released in January 2022. And, she also has her own podcast about cinematic heists, capers, stings, and more called The Caper Cast that she co-hosts with Whitney Gardner. Stephanie, welcome to the Hall H Show!

8/17/21 • 95:27

On this episode, Aaron Nabus talks to a former high school teacher turned writer, Gabe Cheng! He currently has a Kickstarter campaign going on until Friday, August 6, 2021, for the fourth chapter of his comic book, For Molly. You can also get caught up by picking up issues 1-3...which is what I did. For Molly is an action packed modern fantasy adventure, set among the abandoned things in the New Jersey forest, where talking dogs and off-the-grid humans have precariously coexisted...until now. It tackles themes such as guilt, abandonment, and trust. The two main characters, Greg and Molly start out hopeless and isolated, but through their experiences in the forest and despite all of the challenges they face, they discover something in each other that's worth fighting for. Welcome to the Hall H Show, Gabe!

8/2/21 • 95:41

Aaron Nabus here and our guest for Episode 111 of the Hall H Show is the multi-talented illustrator and comic book creator, Robert Roach! Robert has been a Los Angeles based illustrator, comic artist & publisher since the mid-90s, picking up a Glyph Award for his creator owned comic book, "The Roach" in 2009, teaching storyboarding at L.A.'s Otis College of Art & Design's "Continuing Education", designing action figures, working on projects for Ford and jetBlue Airlines, living in Japan and Osaka for a few years, and earning rave reviews for another one of his comic books, called "Menthu" which features a present day story based on Egyptian mythology and set in Los Angeles. On this episode we'll be talking about the trade paperback for The Roach "At War With The Cause," which is currently on Kickstarter until Saturday, August 7th, 2021.

7/30/21 • 146:06

If we were to tell you that host, Aaron Nabus would be interviewing on this episode, a fellow podcaster, an ordained Soto Zen Buddist monk, a screenwriter that has sold the film rights to one of his stories to Justin Lin and has developed other film and TV projects with JJ Abrams, Ridley Scott, John Woo, and Penelope Cruz (just to name a few), a Ringo Award winning coming book creator, a poker player that has won a ton of online and in person tournaments, and a former American Ninja Warrior contestant, you probably say, "Wow, where did Aaron find all these guests? And man, is this going to be a five hour show?" Well guess what, they are all the same person! That's right...the one...the only, Rylend Grant is back to talk about  his Tokusatsu genre comic, Suicide Jockeys and so much more!

7/20/21 • 129:50

We're happy to welcome back a writer that we first met at Black Comix Day 2018, the creator of Is'nana the Were-Spider, Greg Anderson Elysée! It's hard to believe that the first time we interviewed him was three years ago on episode 31. Time sure went by fast! He's been on several shows since then to discuss a few of the comic books that he's written. On episode 109, host Aaron Nabus talks to Greg about Is'ana the Were-Spider: Birthday Day. While it's the fifth comic book in the Is'nana the Were-Spider series, Birthday Day is actually a prequel. It's available to back on Kickstarter until 7/18/21, so let's help it finish strong. Welcome back to the Hall H Show, Greg!

7/14/21 • 70:47

On this episode, Hall H Show host, Aaron Nabus chats with writer, actor and director, Clay Adams. You might know him for his voice acting work on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Fast Forward and several seasons of Yugioh. He was last on the show back in October of 2020, on episode 99, where he and David Schrader talked about their horror themed comic book anthology, Nightmare Theater. He's back to talk about one of his own comics, PBOW: World War Bitch 1-2, the grindhouse action comedy sequel to Pregnant Bitches of War (Dystopian sci-fi for mature readers that's The Handmaid's Tale meets Kill Bill). PBOW: World Pregnant Bitches of War is on Kickstarter until June, 17, 2021. Clay also shares some great writing, Kickstarter and voice acting advice. Enjoy!

6/16/21 • 92:26

Writer, Terry Mayo (The Wicked Righteous, Disposable Legends) and artist, Dave Swartz (Feast or Famine, Confederate Monster) talk with host, Aaron Nabus about their indie comic, Buddy (a family friendly horror tale about a pug trying to save his family from a horde of demons). The last full day to back on Kickstarter is Saturday, 6/5/21). We talk about how Terry has 14 kids (just joking...but his family is growing) and his job as a nurse, Dave's fascination with words and philosophy, and so much more (the both of them also share some valuable advice for aspiring comic book creators)! I hope to one day hang out with the both of them and maybe sing some karaoke (make sure to listen to this episode to find out what Terry sang to win second place in a contest in the 90's). Enjoy! 

6/1/21 • 103:42

Hey there Hall H Show listeners, Aaron Nabus here and joining me on this episode is Jay Jay Maniquis, a pop culture fan (Back to the Future is his favorite movie) and food and travel vlogger with a fast growing YouTube channel called Jaycation. On this episode we talk about growing up in San Diego, his travels to Spain, France, Italy, New Zealand, The Philippines and other places, the importance of engaging with your fans and community, San Diego Comic-Con, his love for CW shows (Arrow, The Flash, One Tree Hill, Dawson's Creek), and so much more! At the time of our chat he was about 150 subscribers from the 30k milestone (which he has since passed) – congratulations, Jay Jay! He does a lot for local businesses and also in providing great value for "Jaycationers" (like me). So let's all continue to support him as he makes his way to his personal goal of 100k YouTube subscribers! This was a fun and informative chat with Jay Jay and I hope to meet up with him soon for some good food and beer! Enjoy!

5/24/21 • 90:37

Hello fellow nerds, geeks and supporters of indie pop culture creators! Aaron Nabus here and welcome to the Hall H Show! I appeared recently on The Writers Block (hosted by Rylend Grant and David Avellone) with my guests for episode 105, Tilly and Susan Bridges. That was a fun conversation, not about writing, but about creating podcasts, which they produce, along with audio dramas, through their company, Pendant Productions. Though, Tilly and Susan are also writers, having written their own comic book, Killswitch. On this episode, we talk about their "meet cute" moment, Pendant Productions, Killswitch, pizza, Star Trek, Trans Tuesday and so much more...enjoy! ~Aaron

5/12/21 • 70:24

International Mobile Film Festival 2021 will be taking place virtually on April 23-25, 2021. This festival is an annual celebration of mobile filmmaking that is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year! For some, it may seem like making movies on your smartphone has only been trending fairly recently, but our guest for this episode, Susan Botello, has been promoting the possibilities of mobile filmmaking since the first iPhone came out in 2007 – maybe even before that! She's the owner of SBP Productions, founder of the International Mobile Film Festival, "The Voice for Mobile Film", as the host of the SBP Podcast, creator of Mobile Film Stories, a frequent guest of the Hall H Show, and a spokesperson for San Diego's Fish Taco industry! Welcome back to the show, Susy! ~Aaron

4/18/21 • 103:56

Steven Prince makes his return to the Hall H Show and talks to host, Aaron Nabus about his comic book, Monster Matador: Tango of the Matadors (now on Kickstarter until May 5 2021), Meltdown Comics, Chow Yun Fat, Elvis Presley, and so much more!

4/13/21 • 69:51