Launched in 2025, Comics A-Z podcast (on Podbean and Apple) is a weekly program that showcases the history of sequential art: comic books, comic strips, the characters, their creators, one letter at a time. In that regard, it’s like a comic book encyclopedia of old, except it’s a podcast.

Each episode highlights a comic book character or creator featuring the title’s history, creation, social and industry impact, biographies of the creator(s), fun trivia facts, and recommended further reading on the week’s topic.

Comics A-Z is the brainchild of its host, Kevin Cleary, a comics industry veteran who went on to work in Hollywood, but who never lost his love of the medium, its history, and its creators.

In his time in the industry, he served as an executive with First Comics, Classics Illustrated Comics, and TV Comics. He served as an advisor to The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, The Overstreet Premium Ring Guide, a feature writer for the Comics Buyer’s Guide, Overstreet’s Comic Book Monthly, and Wizard.

Cleary was also the Sales Director for the Dream Factory chain of 22 stores and Purchasing Director for Heroes World Distribution, among other things, before making the leap to Hollywood in 2001.

He said he created the show because he still loves comics and the further we go into the into the 21st century, the more we forget the past.

“When I was a kid, I read and loved The World Encyclopedia of Comics by Maurice Horn. It had all this history and information that I didn’t know as a young, new fan of comics, and last year I thought to myself ‘What would be a modern version of that?’” he said.

The answer, he said, was a podcast.

“Many of the creators we talk about, especially the Golden Age folks, didn’t get the recognition they deserved during most of their lives, maybe getting some at the end, but I never thought it was enough.  I’ve read its history. I worked in the industry where I got to meet people like Will Eisner, Julie Schwartz, Martin Nodell, Gil Kane, and Leonard Starr and just want to give them all another moment in the sun for people to remember, or learn about, and honor them now. A podcast seemed to be a great way to do it. There is a never-ending list of topics. I can keep going around the alphabet forever,” he said.

He describes the series as “an audio version of a Comics Journal feature crossed with a Ken Burns documentary, but about Green Lantern, Daredevil, MAD magazine, or Will Eisner. I would also compare them to some of the features I used to write for Maggie Thompson at the Comics Buyer’s Guide back in the day. For many of the episodes, I want to pass along the history of the medium and recognize the work of so many talented people that created these characters and stories that we all cherish. And some episodes cover groundbreaking modern work like Robert Kirkman’s Invincible for example. It’s the whole world of comic books, one letter at a time,” he said.

“We have segments on the characters, the history, the creator biographies, and trivia facts but my favorite part is actually the recommended reading section at the end of each episode where I can promote so many great comic history books by people like Les Daniels, Brad Bishop, Mark Evanier and so many more. There are a lot of fantastic history books about the business out there, plus biographies and autobiographies. So many great books. That’s my favorite part. I’m still a book guy at heart. A comic book guy with a podcast,” Cleary said.

The show’s thus far include A is for Archie – America’s Favorite Teenager (featured biography: Bob Montana), B is for Batman – The Dark Knight (featured biographies: Bob Kane and Bill Finger), C is for Carl Barks – “The Good Duck Artist” (featured biography: Carl Barks), D is for Daredevil – The Man Without Fear (featured biographies: Frank Miller and Bill Everett), E is for Eisner – The Father of the Graphic Novel (featured biography: Will Eisner), F is for Fantastic Four – The First Family of Marvel Comics (featured biographies: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby), G is for Green Lantern – No Evil Shall Escape His Sight (featured biographies: Martin Nodell, Bill Finger, Julius Schwartz, and Gil Kane), H is for Hägar the Horrible – A Very Modern Viking (featured biographies: Dik Browne and Chris Browne), I is for Invincible – Real Heroes Don’t Reset (featured biographies: Robert Kirkman and Ryan Ottley), J is for Justice Society & League – The First Super Team (featured biographies Sheldon Mayer and Gardner Fox, Julius Swartz and Mike Sekowsky), K is for Kal-El, the Last Son of Krypton (featured biographies: Jerry Seigel and Joe Schuster), L is for Little Orphan Annie – From Strip to Stage to Screen (featured biographies: Harold Gray, Leonard Starr, and Thomas Meehan), M is for MAD Magazine – What, Me, Worry? (featured biographies: Max Gaines, William Gaines, and Harvey Kurtzman), N is for Namor, the Sub-Mariner – Prince of Atlantis (featured biography: Bill Everett), O is for the Outlaw Kid – Marvel Comic’s Western Titles (featured biographies: Doug Wildey and Dick Ayers).

Cleary said episodes are added weekly and can be found on Apple Podcasts and Podbean.