Ep. 140: R. Alan Brooks – Writer, Podcast Host, Creator of The Burning Metronome

R. Alan Brooks is the creator of The Burning Metronome, a hardcover graphic novel, a supernatural murder mystery where six courageous explorers find themselves trapped in another world, populated by the strangest creatures they’ve ever seen: human beings. He’s also host of MotherF**ker In A Cape, a podcast series featuring informal chats with comic book creators, nerd activists and key figures from areas of geek culture that aren’t often explored.

On this week’s show, we delve into Alan’s origin story as he shares a story he’s told often about how growing up in Atlanta and going to comic cons, it was basically just him and a bunch of white dudes in their 40s. Needless to say, comics are now everywhere, and geek culture has become mainstream. Alan shares his thoughts about that evolution, how diversity has advanced, how not to do diversity in 2017 if you’re creating a panel at a con, and a ton more.

One thing that’s remarkable about Alan is that he supports himself entirely through his artistic endeavors, something you’ll hear anecdotally from people you talk to that they’re envious of. So how does he do it? We demystify a bit of the romantic perception of the life of a creative, dig into how to structure a day, and, most importantly, the absolute necessity of getting your creative projects out into the world and delivering a final product. The ability to do that separates working creatives from at least 80% of the rest of the world.

I absolutely adored talking to Alan and getting to peek into his world. He’s thoughtful, incredibly incisive, and, without stating this outright, seems to seek to contribute to the world through his artistic endeavors in a way that will make it better than he found it. He’s remarkably talented and a wonderful conversationalist.

Check out The Burning Metronome on Facebook, follow Alan on Twitter, and stay up to date with him on Tumblr.

This show is available for download on Apple Podcasts, streaming on Stitcher, or housed at Jon of All Trades.us.

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