Can an Android Understand what it Means to be Human? DJ Wiedrich
January 11, 2026·41 min·4 clips
The cover talk gets things going. DJ is clearly coming at comics from the artist side, and he is honest about the business work feeling less natural. His wife usually handles that part, which gives the interview a real comics-shop texture. Making the book and selling the book are happening at the same time, whether he loves that part or not. The host keeps the room loose and friendly, so the conversation never hardens into a pitch. It stays on the nuts and bolts: covers, attention, preview copies, conventions, and how readers actually find the pages. DJ has been putting in road time. He says he went to 12 comic cons in the past year, mostly traveling from Kansas toward East Coast shows. His Toyota gets a funny little moment because he is not completely sure what model it is, but the point is obvious enough: the convention grind takes miles. Sketches are part of that routine too. DJ says he does custom work at cons, which makes the shows more than a sales stop. They are where readers can meet the person behind the book. Then the Kickstarter details come into focus. The campaign is going live the weekend of February 7th and 8th, matched with Big Lit Comic Con. That is not random timing. DJ calls it his hometown comic con and says it was the first one he did back in 2021. Roanoke carries weight for him. He knows the owners, knows the clientele, and sees the show as the right place to put the book in front of people who already know him a bit. The ashcans are the bait on the table: digest-size black-and-white previews with the first 20 pages. By the end, the host wants him back once the campaign is moving.
