How many words belong on a page? How many panels? In this week's podcast, we uncover the answers by chatting with Pornsak Pichetshote and Jesse Lonergan about their new Boom Studios series, Man's Best. It's a radically personal work about three emotional support animals lost in space, and it forced its creators to rethink their collaborative impulses to achieve the best comic possible. And we're excited to report they pulled it off. Man's Best is, without doubt, one of the year's best comics. In our conversation, before we dig into the craft and math behind the comic, we challenge the themes Pichetshote and Lonergan are exploring with Man's Best. It's a saga born out of crisis, and it required the artists to adopt one of the most tried-and-true fictional devices: anthropomorphization. We consider the intrinsic value of placing animals in harm's way and how it immediately - and perilously - heightens an audience's emotions. One dog dies, and we're happy to watch John Wick eradicate a hundred goons. It's not a vice-versa situation. The first issue of Man's Best is out now, and the second issue will arrive in comic shops on April 24th. You can continue this conversation online by following Pornsak Pichetshote on Twitter and Instagram, as well as Jesse Lonergan on Twitter and Instagram. As always, Omnibus, the Digital Comic Store and Reader, sponsors our Referrals segment. This week, we selected two comic book titles on the site that satisfy this episode's themes. We won't spoil what they are here, but if you click the links below, you'll be immediately escorted to those books. Brad's Referral Lisa's Referral Other Relevant Links: Jesse Lonergan on CBCC, Talking Miss Truesdale SKTCHD's Exploration of the Connection Between Comics and Podcasts Subscribe to the Free CBCC Newsletter Final Round of Plugs (PHEW): Support the Podcast by Joining OUR PATREON COMMUNITY Join us at the Alamo Drafthouse in Winchester, Virginia, on 4/21 at 4:00 PM for our Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II screening, co-sponsored by Four Color Fantasies. Watch the latest episode of The B&B Show, where Brad and Bryan Review the Hottest Cinematic Releases. And, of course, follow Comic Book Couples Counseling on Facebook, on Instagram, and on Twitter @CBCCPodcast, and you can follow hosts Brad Gullickson @MouthDork & Lisa Gullickson @sidewalksiren. Send us your Words of Affirmation by leaving us a 5-star Review on Apple Podcasts. Continue your conversation with CBCC by hopping over to our website, where we have reviews, essays, and numerous interviews with comic book creators. Podcast logo by Aaron Prescott @acoolhandfluke, podcast banner art by @Karen_XmenFan.