Coolest Alive

On episode #384 of Coolest Alive: What the hell happened to comic books? For years, the comics industry has been caught in a growing cultural war known as ComicsGate, splitting creators, fans, publishers, and the fandom itself straight down the middle. On this episode of COOLEST ALIVE, Jesse Blaze Snider takes a hard look at the controversy, the personalities, the politics, and the growing divide that changed the comic book community. And Jesse isn’t coming at this from the sidelines. He’s worked with, and knows, people on both sides of the ComicsGate divide, giving him a perspective that few others can claim. So what actually happened? Who was right? Who was wrong? And, more importantly, what the hell happened to the fandom we all loved? This is THE COMICSGATE WAR.

On this episode of Coolest Alive, Jesse Blaze Snider's "All Your Favorite Bands Suck" featuring Rage Against The Machine. From their explosive debut to their uncompromising fusion of rock, hip-hop, punk, and political fury, Jesse Blaze Snider takes a deep dive into one of the most influential and unforgettable bands in modern rock: Rage Against the Machine. In this episode of Coolest Alive, Jesse shares his personal journey with the band, revisits their studio albums, breaks down their biggest songs and hidden gems, and explores what made Tom Morello, Zack de la Rocha, Tim Commerford, and Brad Wilk such a uniquely powerful combination. From “Killing in the Name” and “Bulls on Parade” to the band’s evolution, controversies, activism, and enormous influence on rock and popular culture, discover why Rage Against the Machine became far more than just a band, and why their music still hits just as hard decades later.

The final chapter of my Jesse Blaze Snider origin story! After years of working as a writer in comics and entertainment, I decided it was time to try something completely different: becoming an independent publisher. I went after licenses from Disney and The Muppets, built projects of my own, but I was reinventing Evil Ernie for Dynamite, the character created by my personal friend and teenage mentor Brian Pulido, the straw that finally BROKE the camel's back and launched me into the independent world in the first place? Find out inside. This is the story of taking everything I’d learned as a writer and trying to build something that was entirely my own. The final chapter of the journey, from working for the industry to trying to begin a NEW industry.

On this episode of Coolest Alive, the story continues. In Part 3 of my origin series, I take you behind the scenes of my career as a professional writer, working with Marvel, DC, Disney, Pixar, The Muppets, Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock, and just about every major publisher under the sun. I share how these opportunities came together, fell apart, and what it was really like working on some of the world’s biggest characters, and why the comic book industry that helped build my career also nearly broke me. This is the next chapter of the journey; the victories, the lessons, and the reality behind the dream.

On this episode of Coolest Alive, the story continues! In Part 2 of my origin series, I dive into how I discovered my passion for writing, the high school class that gave me the confidence to pursue it, and the winding road that led me into the comic book industry. From writing for Marvel’s Deadpool and Hulk to DC, creating Dead Romeo, penning a Batman inventory story, and working on Toy Story, The Muppets, and more, this is the behind-the-scenes story of how a lifelong fan became a professional writer. If you’ve ever wondered how careers in comics really begin, this chapter is for you.