The Worst. Comic. Podcast. Ever! (WCPE!) guys are Cullen Stapleton, John Holloway and Jerry McMullen, lifelong friends who have shared a deep love of comics since they met in junior high. Their podcast has grown immensely since its inception in July 2014. Featuring interviews with many local and nationally known comic book artists and writers, movie reviews and discussion about current happenings in the comics world, the WCPE is a treasure trove of knowledge, fandom, passion and fun for both hardcore comics aficionados and newbies alike. Cullen, John and Jerry will record a podcast episode live at the Fandom Fair at Leawood Pioneer Library, discussing the latest comics news and how they are continuing to learn the art of podcast production. The guys are also exhibiting some of their favorite comics artwork at Leawood and Blue Valley Libraries throughout June, July and August.
Cullen Stapleton pulled his first comic book off a spinner rack in a QuikTrip in Shawnee, KS, in 1978 and spent the next few years casually reading books like Dazzler, Marvel Team-Up, Marvel Two-in-One and She-Hulk purchased from gas station magazine stands on family vacations from around the country. Then he met John and Jerry in junior high and learned you could go to a store that sold nothing but comics and he lost his mind. Cullen is a homemaker with four children and a beautiful wife with whom he plays Gotham City Imposters every chance he gets. He’s a human.
During visits to his grandparents, John Holloway would hang out with his cool older cousin who collected comic books. John didn’t have an easy place to get comics so his Mom offered to get him a subscription to a comic book and he chose Super Friends instead of something that looked weird like X-Men. He remembers the day in 1980 when he rode his bike to the EZ shop and picked up a copy of New Teen Titans #1. That book turned him from a kid that read comics into a collector. Comic books got John into science fiction, which led to an interest in astronomy and physics. He teaches physics and lives in Overland Park, KS, with his wife, daughter, two cats and a pooch.
Suffering from severe asthma as a kid, Jerry McMullen found comics as a way to pass the time inside during the peak allergy seasons. Even though the asthma and allergies faded over time, Jerry’s love for comics continued to grow. His parents didn’t mind, as they knew there were worst ways for Jerry to spend his allowance money each week. Today, Jerry enjoys sharing his love of comics with his children, sharing a mix of current comics and tales from long ago.