Nerdy Mewzings

About Nerdy Mewzings

A weekly comic book interview podcast where host & artist James chats with comic industry pros, collectors, creators, & average nerds about all things comics, art, & more. Keep it nerdy! Website: nerdymewzings.com/podcast Video version of episodes: youtube.com/@nerdymewzings Patreon: patreon.com/nerdymewzings X (Twitter) - Instagram - TikTok @nerdymewzings

Publisher

James Foster

Category

arts

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

27 Mar 2024

Latest episode

19 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

131 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   19 Oct 2026

   Artist Carlos Mendoza III on Animatronic Design, Toys & Responsible AI Usage

   Multitalented Artist Carlos Mendoza III dropped by Nerdy Mewzings to talk designing for animatronics, toys, and what it actually takes to turn a cool drawing into a real product people can buy! After 20+ years in toys (Spin Master, SpongeBob, & more) and nearly five years as art director for animatronics, Carlos shares how he learned the hard limits of factories, motors, weight, and cost so the finished piece matches the art. He also breaks down his practical take on the use of AI in creative industries: How ever changing industry standards have influenced his use of it as a productivity tool for quick corrections and creating style guides based on his original artwork, but not to generate finished work, or copy other artists. Our conversation also covers why versatility (a “web” of skills across toys, pinball, animatronics, and vehicles) has kept him working when single-lane careers get hit by layoffs. If you're enjoying the episodes please take a moment to leave a 5 STAR review, share with a Friend, and Keep it Nerdy! Follow Carlos: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/carlos3art Support Nerdy Mewzings on Patreon, get episodes 48 hours early, submit guest questions, and more here: https://patreon.com/nerdymewzings Timestamps 0:00 - Intro, Jin Han connection & Texas move 3:30 - Giant skeletons, year-round displays & collections 10:00 - Funko saturation vs supporting friends’ toys 14:00 - ’80s cartoons, Nicaragua roots & brother’s shapes 20:00 - T-shirt shop, Top Cow visit & Michael Turner 26:00 - Jada Toys 2005 & Spin Master with Jin Han 32:00 - Mike Rayhawk’s brutal critiques 36:00 - Four years chasing Blizzard style 42:00 - Animatronic design & real-world limits 48:00 - AI as tool vs replacement 56:00 - Teams, burnout & one-thread careers 1:12:00 - Career web: pinball, animatronics, toys 1:18:00 - Where to find Carlos & outro

2. 

   12 Oct 2026

   The Fellowship of the Beats: Comic Book Artist Todd Beats Returns

   Todd Beats is back, completing a TRILOGY of Nerdy Mewzings Podcast appearances, fresh off a much needed art getaway with his friend Joey Lee Cabral, and in the middle of prepping for New York Comic Con! We chatted about why school felt like torture for him, how creativity gets trained out of people, and why he posts the hard life lessons under the process videos instead of closing the door after a win. Learn the story behind why Todd keeps an overflowing change cup in his studio and how comfort in mediocrity is easier than another failure. By the time this airs he will have finished New York Comic Con (Dungeon Crawler Carl covers, Fox Mask Killer, retailer variants), with LA Comic Con (Oct 29–Nov 1), ChainKata covers in November, and a Japan/Singapore trip with Ryan Benjamin and Whilce Portacio still ahead. Honing his sequential art skills is the 2027 target! If you are enjoying the podcast please take a moment to leave a 5 STAR review, share with a friend, & Keep it Nerdy! Visit toddbeets.com and the newsletter for drops: https://www.toddbeats.com/ Follow Todd: WhatNot - https://www.whatnot.com/user/toddbeats Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/toddbeats TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@todd_beats X - https://x.com/toddbeats_art Subscribe to his YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ToddBeatsART Patreon members get episodes 48 hours early, a shoutout on the show, and can submit guest questions! Join here for only $5 per month: https://patreon.com/nerdymewzings Timestamps 0:00 - El Paso trip with Joey Lee Cabral 6:30 - Kids, wonder & creativity getting boxed in 11:00 - School, shop class & homeschool 19:00 - Why he posts the hard stuff 22:30 - Rob Liefeld, closed doors & going to the audience 32:00 - Marvel house style, Image & Absolute copies 44:00 - Positivity that makes people angry 51:00 - Self-belief, world titles & lonely winning 1:01:30 - The change cup & chasing failure 1:07:30 - NYCC, LA, ChainKata, Japan 1:12:00 - Patreon questions: content, camera, up-angle heads 1:19:00 - Outro

3. 

   5 Oct 2026

   Artist Brandon Mendoza: Marvel Snap, Character Design, and Creating Comic Books

   Brandon Mendoza joins Nerdy Mewzings, going from a viewer and supporter, to featured guest! He is a Marvel Snap artist, character designer, cover artist, and teacher who is currently finishing his first sequential comic work on an upcoming, soon to be announced, project. Brandon talks about chasing his sports dream while pursuing a basketball career, how a knee injury changed his trajectory and helped him in rediscovering his love of art. He reflects on the comic book that pulled him back into the art world, Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato’s New 52 Flash. He talks about his regimen of nightly practice, YouTube and magazine drills, landing production work on Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur during the pandemic, and getting a Marvel Snap assignment after an art director reacted to his art on an Instagram story! We also talk about digital pencils versus traditional ink, influences from Brett Bean, Eric Canete, Kim Jacinto, Humberto Ramos, and Carlos Meglia, and the impact Daniel Warren Johnson’s livestreams have had on both of us. Keep an eye out, as a preview of his new comic project is aimed at New York Comic Con this coming weekend! Leave a 5 STAR review, share with a friend, & Keep it Nerdy! Follow Brandon: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/bmendoza_art X - https://x.com/bmendozart TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@brandon.mendoza.art Patreon members get episodes early, a shoutout on the show, and can submit questions for upcoming guests! Join here: https://patreon.com/nerdymewzings Timestamps 0:00 - Welcome & basketball before comics 4:00 - Jordan, Derrick Rose & drawing on cards 7:00 - Digital tools vs the feel of watercolor 10:00 - Cartoons, an uncle’s Spawn stack & the Flash rack 15:00 - Meniscus injury & leaving engineering 21:00 - Graphic design, practice sheets & homework after midnight 27:00 - Character design & Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur 34:00 - Pandemic silver linings 37:00 - Marvel Snap from an Instagram story 41:00 - Style: Bean, Canete, Ramos, Meglia 45:00 - DWJ, erasing & the mental side of drawing 51:00 - First sequential job with Juan Castro & Garrett Gunn 56:00 - Dream books: Flash, Batman Beyond, Daredevil 1:02:00 - Where to follow Brandon & outro

Who has been a guest on Nerdy Mewzings

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Steve Canon
• Kim Bailey
• Ryan Benjamin
• Thomas Nachlik
• Raymar Brunson

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

58,723

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.7 / 5

3 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

3 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 48 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

53

Social presence

0

YouTube

76

Engagement

32

Contact Nerdy Mewzings

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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Questions about Nerdy Mewzings