Live from HeroesCon 2026: Kyle Starks and Chris Schweizer

Live from HeroesCon 2026, in Charlotte, North Carolina, we’re celebrating the beautiful kinship between cartoonists Kyle Starks and Chris Schweizer, the industry’s most notable BFFs. Their meet-cute occurred ten years ago at HeroesCon, the most comic book comic convention in America, but it solidified during an adventure to claim a “Tiger Truck.” You can take a second to unpack that last sentence, or you can just go ahead and press play on this week’s podcast episode.

We discuss how a passion for comics, Kyle’s location, and its relation to a town where Chris collects his lumber brought these friends together. Eventually, this would lead to collaboration on books such as Rock Candy Mountain, Mars Attacks, 6 Sidekicks of Trigger Keaton, and Karate Prom. They are two singular creators with the determination to do things their own way, but somehow, through the bickering, they make magic.

It was a pleasure to sit across from these two while they regaled us, and a HeroesCon audience, with tales of triumph, defeat, and consternation. One’s a grump. One’s chill. One’s an optimist. One’s a realist. Who’s who might surprise you. We’re delighted to platform these comic book besties.

Recently, Kyle Starks wrapped up Wrestle Heist for Image Comics, and it will land in bookstores on August 4th. He also completed Where Monsters Lie: Dead End via Kickstarter and is currently writing the Vertigo Comics series, End of Life. Follow him on BlueSky, Instagram, Patreon, and his Website.

Chris Schweizer is weeks away from launching his next Kickstarter campaign for Outlaw’s Apprentice: Broken Blade, the first graphic novel in his Appalachian-inspired swashbuckling fantasy series. You can also read it on Webtoon and Patreon. Follow him on BlueSky, Instagram, and his Website.

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This June, Top Shelf Productions is bringing you unforgettable stories from the deeply personal to the absolutely colossal. On June 2nd, discover We Are Pan