Uploaded June 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
If you would like to be a guest on the Indie Comic Exchange, please follow this link and fill out the form kurtbrugel.com/indie-comic-book-creator-exchange
Dee's Instagram instagram.com/heyyisdeedeehome
Power to the Panel YouTube channel: youtube.com/@power2thepanel
Honorable Mentions:
Won’t Back Down anthology (Last Gasp): lastgasp.com
Scout Comics: scoutcomics.com
Eliot School: eliotschool.org
IC3 Comic Con: indiecomicscreatorcon.com
@power2thepanel
In this episode of Indie Creator Exchange, Deanna Soukiasian shares her journey from childhood inspiration to professional editor and indie cartoonist. Growing up in Watertown, Massachusetts, Deanna fell in love with cartooning through local workshops and Archie comics. She refined her craft with dual degrees in art history and sequential art from SCAD, working on Won't Back Down, a pro-choice anthology with Trina Robbins. Deanna emphasizes the importance of setting boundaries, recounting her decision to turn down a restrictive contract from Heavy Metal. She discusses her experiences at Scout Comics, where she championed creator-owned projects, and how she now focuses on education, teaching at the Elliott School and sharing insights on Power to the Panel’s Editor, Hardly Know Her. Deanna highlights the need for community connections, emphasizing that shows and personal interactions often lead to better opportunities than online promotion alone.
3 Educational Points from the Podcast
1. You can turn down a project if the terms don’t value your contributions—knowing your worth is essential in publishing.
2. Community and in-person interactions are often more effective for building opportunities than purely online promotion.
3. Artistic growth never stops—whether you’re in school or a working pro, pushing past your comfort zone (like adding perspective and environmental storytelling) helps comics evolve.
If you would like to be a guest on the Indie Comic Exchange, please follow this link and fill out the form kurtbrugel.com/indie-comic-book-creator-exchange
Dee's Instagram instagram.com/heyyisdeedeehome
Power to the Panel YouTube channel: youtube.com/@power2thepanel
Honorable Mentions:
Won’t Back Down anthology (Last Gasp): lastgasp.com
Scout Comics: scoutcomics.com
Eliot School: eliotschool.org
IC3 Comic Con: indiecomicscreatorcon.com
@power2thepanel
In this episode of Indie Creator Exchange, Deanna Soukiasian shares her journey from childhood inspiration to professional editor and indie cartoonist. Growing up in Watertown, Massachusetts, Deanna fell in love with cartooning through local workshops and Archie comics. She refined her craft with dual degrees in art history and sequential art from SCAD, working on Won't Back Down, a pro-choice anthology with Trina Robbins. Deanna emphasizes the importance of setting boundaries, recounting her decision to turn down a restrictive contract from Heavy Metal. She discusses her experiences at Scout Comics, where she championed creator-owned projects, and how she now focuses on education, teaching at the Elliott School and sharing insights on Power to the Panel’s Editor, Hardly Know Her. Deanna highlights the need for community connections, emphasizing that shows and personal interactions often lead to better opportunities than online promotion alone.
3 Educational Points from the Podcast
1. You can turn down a project if the terms don’t value your contributions—knowing your worth is essential in publishing.
2. Community and in-person interactions are often more effective for building opportunities than purely online promotion.
3. Artistic growth never stops—whether you’re in school or a working pro, pushing past your comfort zone (like adding perspective and environmental storytelling) helps comics evolve.
