Fredcast

For those who haven't played it, Drinking Quest is a fantasy setting RPG with really simple rules, uses only one dice, and the object is to have a few drinks while you play. In fact, drinking becomes PART of the game. I've played it with a group of my friends and we've always had fun in the process. Jason was an awesome guest, and while we played we even spewed about our love for Jim Zub … and then almost got drunk. Yep. He'll be at comicon this weekend, for those who wanna go meet him. Plus, you can pre-order Volume 3 of his game (you should, cause it's a blast) here:

Ricky Lima – He's a greatly bearded gent that works at Stadium Comics and also creates his own comics. Deep Sea is a fantastic indie title that will mstlikely be available at Fan Expo this summer, and he's already working on a sequel! Adam Gorham – Adam and I work on the comic Teuton together, and he's contributed to a bunch of indie compellations and the award winning Vampire Conspiracies OTPB published in 2009. You can check out his blog at http://aprincelydreadful.blogspot.ca/ Gibson Quarter – Gibson has done a good deal of work for comics overseas, including Undertow, and even here in Canada for Heroes of the North. You can check out his blog at http://gibsonquarter27art.blogspot.ca/

Conor has served in both creative and business positions for film and television companies, contributed over 1,000 stories and articles for media outlets and also provided expert analysis for Canada's Business News Network. That's all well and good, but he also comes to my house and drinks beer!

This guy is my favourite comic writer. Period. I feel lame even just calling him a comic writer. He's my favourite writer, let's put it that way. This interview was kind of weird though cause it wound up being very choppy and conversational rather than a straight ahead discussion. This a big reason why I like having people in studio. But he lives in the US so that wasn't really an option. It's OK though and for me the off the cuff nature of what he was saying was what made in enjoyable. Either way, go read 100 Bullets, you'll be glad you did!

Michael Tymczyszyn is an author and screenwriter living in Toronto, Canada. He lives with his fiance and their dog. Michael is currently finishing writing for Titan Book 2, as well as several other series that will be released by AH Comics in 2013. Follow Mike on Twitter @alphabetkid. Andy Stanleigh is an artist and designer living in Toronto, Canada. His artwork has been displayed in invitational gallery showcases across Canada, as well as licensed by reproduction houses in North America. He lives with his wife and their two cats. Andy is currently illustrating for Titan Book 2, as well as another graphic novel title to be released by AH Comics in 2013. Follow Andy on Twitter @illustratorandy

Timothy Truman is an American writer, artist and musician. He is best known for his stories and Wild West-style comic book art, and in particular, for his work on Grimjack (with John Ostrander), Scout, and the reinvention of Jonah Hex, with Joe R. Lansdale. Truman is currently writing Conan and Hawken.

Kagan McLeod has been illustrating for magazines, newspapers and design firms since 1999, after graduating from Sheridan College's illustration program. He began work as a staff artist for Canada's National Post newspaper, and has since had work published in magazines around the world. He lives in Toronto with his wife, two daughters and hound dog, Buddy.

Aaron's career in comics began in 2001 when he won a Marvel Comics talent search contest with an eight-page Wolverine back-up story script. The story, which was published in Wolverine #175 (June 2002), gave him the opportunity to pitch subsequent ideas to editors. In 2006, Aaron made a blind submission to DC/Vertigo, who published his first major work, the Vietnam War story The Other Side, which was nominated for an Eisner Award for Best Miniseries, and which Aaron regards as the "second time" he broke into the industry. Following this, Vertigo asked him to pitch other ideas, which led to the series Scalped, a creator-owned series set on the fictional Prairie Rose Indian Reservation and published by DC/Vertigo.

Mike and Ed are great guys. They worked on a VERY cool indie series called Murder Book and are now working on a book for Image called Comeback. The first issue is out next Wednesday and I can't recommend it enough. I already read the first issue and I am really excited for number two. It's cool to talk to these guys right now as they're riding the wave of their first pro book.

Tommy Tallarico is without a doubt one of gaming's greatest luminaries. The veritable video game icon is known throughout the world as one of the most influential video game composers in history, having help guide video game music from the bleeps and bloops of the early 1980's into the rich, CD-quality soundtracks appreciated by millions of fans around the world today. And he's now taken that show on the road with Video Games Live, great guy, great chat.

In 2005 Ralph and business partner Joe Brusha, co-wrote and published Zenescope's first comic book series, Grimm Fairy Tales, which was an immediate hit with comic book fans all over the world. He went on to co-create the acclaimed Wonderland trilogy along with Brusha and writer Raven Gregory. Tedesco has co-developed and has written numerous Zenescope titles such as Se7en, Salem's Daughter and Grimm Fairy Tales' INFENRO. He is currently developing several upcoming Zenescope projects as well as executive producing the film version of The Piper, based off Zenescope's series of the same name. In his spare time Ralph trains in Japanese combat Jujitsu and is also an actor and proud member of SAG. He currently resides in the Art Museum area of Philadelphia, PA.

Joseph Torres, better known as J. Torres, is an award-winning Filipino-born Canadian comic book writer. He is perhaps best known for his run on DC Comics' Teen Titans Go!. He has also done some writing for animation and television. He's currently working on a very cool project called True Patriot. I encourage you support it by clicking here: www.indiegogo.com/truepatriot

This week we're joined by Ramon Perez, our first ever Eisner Award Winner! He actually replaced Kevin Long at Paladium Games back in the day. And Kevin Long was one of my favourite artists ever. Look at the work Kevin Long did on the Rifts books and tell me your mind isn't blown to tiny dust particles!!! Anyways, we chat about everything from childhood superhero creations to The Monkeys. Seriously. The Monkeys.

So Kalman is a comic book artist .. or dare I say ARTEESTE from right here in Toronto. He's also one of the best dressed dudes in the Western Hemisphere. Mind you, I'm not real judge of fashion, but he always makes me look like shlub. Great dude, though. We chatted about Captain Cannuck and a few other random things here. I love hearing his insight on things, and just so ya know ... he did the cover for a comic I have coming out with Frozen Beach Studios next year

This guy has done it all. And in this chat (which could have been twice as long and been just as interesting) we talk about everything from pole vaulting, brainwashing cults, icebergs and why Russia is without a doubt the scariest place on Earth. Really, if you want to be a writer listen to what he's talking about. Amazing nuggets of information on here.!

Jimmy Palmiotti is a writer of the first regard … I don't even know if that sentence makes sense. But what I'm trying to say is he's a great writer, and also a swell fella. He even bought me a drink at FanExpo! I learned that he started in advertising and went on to ink comics and that's how he got his writing career going. And he's done more that write comics, he's written TV shows, videogames, movies, you name it! If you wanna become a writer, listen closely to what he's saying! It was a cool chat, so I hope you enjoy it!

Aaron Douglas played my favorite character on Battlestar Galactica, Chief Tyrol. We chatted about a bunch of stuff including his new show for Netfilx, Hemlock Grove. It was cool having him in studio being so frank about humanity.

Tony Moore has been one of my favourite comic artists ever since I started reading The Exterminators a few years back. I loved the book. It was tragic how it ended so soon. I suppose he's most famous for being part of the creative force behind The Walking Dead, but I've always liked Fear Agent and the Exterminators. What's kind of weird is the first book I really sunk my teeth into as a writer (Mike Gorbsmith: The Only Attractive Russian Ever) was often compared to Battle Pope, another book he worked on. But sheer luck my table was next to his at Fan Expo and he was awesome. Gave me and my buddy Adam Gorham (@adamtgorham on twitter) loads of comic advice. Great dude. tT was rad to have him on the Podcast!

This week George from the Silver Snail came by the studio and continued a drunken conversation that started a few weeks ago. While at FanExpo we were stuck at a dinner table full of people crapping on Superman. I love Superman, and so does George. Hence forth we felt it was our DUTY to discuss why despite all the silliness involving the man in blue, he's still awesome.

David Evans is a Curator in Vertebrate Palaeontology and oversees dinosaur research at the ROM. He is also a cross-appointed Assistant Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Toronto. David was born in Ontario and grew up in Kelowna, British Columbia. He first laid eyes on dinosaur skeletons in the galleries of the ROM and has been fascinated with dinosaurs and palaeontology ever since. As an undergraduate student David spent several summers working as a field technician for the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Alberta, where he studied the duck-billed dinosaur Corythosaurus for his undergraduate thesis. David's doctoral dissertation analyzed skull growth and evolutionary relationships in crested hadrosaurs, with an emphasis on the striking diversity of these animals from Alberta, Canada. Since the ROM has one of the best collections of these dinosaurs in the world, it was natural that David chose to do his Ph.D. at the University of Toronto.