Deconstructing Comics: Recent Episodes
Tim Young and friends
Deconstructing Comics is a podcast by and for comics creators — especially those who haven’t hit their creative stride yet.
Whether you’ve got a comic going and you’re trying to promote it, or you haven’t even started yet and need some help getting rolling, we hope you’ll come here for inspiration and tips. And there’s plenty of interest for non-creators, as well!
Emil Wilson is the author of the new graphic novel The Nightingales, about a family in 1985 who take in an AIDS patient. The book shows us the panic and misinformation that prevailed about the disease then, and government apathy about a disease that was mainly killing gay men. Wilson is a former advertising man who went to comics school in his 50s. Tim talks with him about the book.
Novelist William Bernhardt also joins Tim to talk about his exhaustively researched nonfiction book The Superman Wars, a history of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster’s battle over ownership of Superman and recognition as his creators. All superhero fans know the outlines of this controversy, but this book fills in all the details.
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Emil Wilson is the author of the new graphic novel The Nightingales, about a family in 1985 who take in an AIDS patient. The book shows us the panic and misinformation that prevailed about the disease then, and government apathy about a disease that was mainly killing gay men. Wilson is a former advertising man who went to comics school in his 50s. Tim talks with him about the book.
Novelist William Bernhardt also joins Tim to talk about his exhaustively researched nonfiction book The Superman Wars, a history of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster's battle over ownership of Superman and recognition as his creators. All superhero fans know the outlines of this controversy, but this book fills in all the details.
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- Full Manga Alchemists
- Our supporters on Patreon
Superhero comics have been parodied for as long as they've existed. This time Tim and Kumar look at two books by comics insiders that satirized the predominant comics of their respective eras: Scott McCloud's Destroy! The Loudest Comic-Book in the Universe!! (1986) distills '80s comics to their essence: superpowered guys punching each other; and Grant Morrison & a bevy of artists poke sharp satirical sticks at the comics of The Guys who Would Be Image in Doom Force Special #1 (1992), right down to the excessive speed lines, nonsense powers, and ankles that would never support an adult human's weight.
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A number of interesting graphic novels have been brought to our attention recently -- works with laugh-out-loud moments and deeper meanings as well. We review three of them in this episode:
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- Heaven by Katie Skelly is a Fantagraphics book about a haunted strip club. Jason joins Tim to discuss it.
- Was That Normal? by Alex Potts (Avery Hill) gives us a neurodivergent main character and a vague threat from a crumbling tower. Adam and Tim review it.
- John of the Night (Avery Hill) is a wild scifi epic by Darryl Cunningham. As Emmet and Tim will discuss, Cunningham normally publishes fact-based comics journalism, such as bios of Ayn Rand and Vladimir Putin, but this time he turns in a really enjoyable work of fiction.
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FLASHBACK! In 1970, four students died when national guardsman inexplicably opened fire during an anti-war protest at Kent State University. The craziness of 2020 has hindered planned observances of the craziness of 1970, but we do get this: Derf Backderf's Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio, a moving account of May 1-4, 1970, through the eyes of those who lost their lives.
In this episode, Tim and Kumar review the book, to be released September 8, and then Tim chats with Derf himself, answering our questions about the tragedy and the book. (Originally published September 2, 2020.)
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While the characterization of Spidey in Amazing Spider-Man 2 is still spot-on, not much else in the movie is. Tim and Mulele discuss the myriad problems, and occasional strong points, of this 2014 film. (Originally published on Patreon July 4, 2020.)
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After Sam Raimi bailed on doing any more Spidey movies, Sony decided to reboot. So, ten years after Spider-man 1, viewers got a new version of Spider-man's origin story - a long, drawn out one with no catharsis (or did we blink and miss it?). One could call this movie unnecessary, as Mulele does, but Tim finally got the Spidey characterization he's been waiting for! Tim and Mulele review. (Originally published on Patreon June 6, 2020.)
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The adventure in the Samurai City comes to a close, and Panther attempts to get back to Wakanda. As a vibranium-related crisis unfolds in his homeland, various roadblocks appear in Panther's path to ratchet up the tension. Can he get home in time? Can his geeky relatives help stave off disaster? Who knew this about vibranium? Tim and Emmet react to surprise twists in Wakanda's past.
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Persepolis author Marjane Satrapi passed away on June 4. This week, Tim and Kumar recall their initial reactions to that book and talk a bit about her life and legacy.
Then, we revisit segments of past episodes in which Tim and Brandon discussed Satrapi's work:
- Persepolis review from episode 91, published September 3, 2007.
- `Persepolis 2 and the film version of Persepolis reviewed in episode 185, published June 22, 2009.
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(Concluding our review of past episodes featuring the work of R. Crumb.)
FLASHBACK! Tim and Kumar meet in person for the first time! This calls for a podcast, but… what to review? We discuss the movie Crumb, which features not only the expected discussion of R. Crumb's work (including an objective look at the question of whether some of the … discomforting subjects of his work should really have been published as "art"), but also a fascinating portrait of the dysfunctional family he grew up in.
Then, Tim and Brandon clash over Sean Murphy's Punk Rock Jesus, in which a former Irish Republican Army member acts as a bodyguard in a reality show claiming to be creating the clone of Jesus Christ. Is it objective and well-written, or a promo brochure for atheism? (Originally published November 2, 2015)
FLASHBACK! Perhaps one of the most puzzling comics releases in years was The Book of Genesis, Illustrated by R. Crumb. While it's a virtuoso art performance, the exact purpose of the book was puzzling to Crumb fans ("It's not a parody?!") and religious readers ("This comic is not for kids?!") alike. Both groups have been taken aback by how straight Crumb plays it — neither parodying nor bowdlerizing the work. That's not to say that nothing in it is Crumb's own interpretation. Tim and John discuss the issues raised — both by Crumb and by his audience. (Originally published August 18, 2014.)
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FLASHBACK! Weirdo was a magazine started by R. Crumb, which featured Crumb's work alongside that of a number of other underground-type comics creators. Crumb's work from Weirdo's 28 issues was collected in 2013 as R. Crumb: The Weirdo Years, 1981-'93, released in the U.S. by Last Gasp. It features an astonishing variety of comics work, from Crumb rants and confessionals to a 1906 psychiatric report on sexual deviancy, fumetti, parodies, and more. This is a book that Deconstructing Comics can't help but review, so this week Kumar and Tim do their podcasting duty! (Originally published December 16, 2013.)
R. Crumb's Snapshots: Source Material of the Legendary Comic Artist (TIME.com)
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Westron is about a private investigator who investigates crimes with supernatural elements. When a girl is murdered, he feels driven to solve the crime by the memory of a childhood friend who was killed. Tim and Jason look into the case of this comic by Shawn McBee, Maciej Jankowski, Nicolas Nieto, and Matia De Vincenzo!
Westron on Kickstarter
At last we complete our look at Alan Moore's Swamp Thing run, looking at Swampy's battle with Gotham City, his seeming death, and his travels through space. Along the way, Tim and Kumar have totally different takes on a certain issue, and Tim finds a fact about it that scandalizes Kumar. Join us as we traverse The Saga of the Swamp Thing issues 51-64!
What are those folks on Rann saying?
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Typical of the Jack Kirby comics we've read from the 1970s, the 1977 Black Panther series is a wild ride. Issues 5 and 6 feature a city of samurai (apparently nowhere near Japan), a yeti (nowhere near the Himalayas), and a nuclear missile (which is far too close to Wakanda). Wait, did we say "Wakanda"?! At last the series is inching back to the familiar territory, literally and figuratively, of a Black Panther story! But first, Panther has to survive Abner Little's snafu in the Samurai City. Tim and Emmet are along for the ride.
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Adam Tierney, writer of the recent hit one-shot Romeo and Juliet and Godzilla, is a video game writer who dabbles in comics as a hobby -- and it's looking like a very successful hobby! This week he talks to Tim about choosing who Godzilla would cross paths with in his Godzilla's Monsterpiece Theatre issue, his love of horror and forthcoming horror comic for kids, how he got into video games, and more.
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Jim Steranko's Nick Fury stories from the late 1960s are lauded for the artwork, especially in the stories after Fury got out of Strange Tales and into his own book. The stories are wacky and kind of haphazard. The layouts are sometimes very innovative, but the storytelling is not always clear. Are these stories worth reading today? Tim and Kumar complete their review of Steranko's Nick Fury. Also, we hear from some listeners, and Tim explains the history and mystery of our podcast feed!
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FLASHBACK! Why read a biography of a fictional comics artist? What if it's also a history of Singapore — done in a style that apes more than a dozen seminal 20th century comics creators? Tim and Kumar take a look at the awe-inspiring (yet sometimes puzzling) Sonny Liew graphic novel The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye. (Originally published May 8, 2017.)
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Black Panther continues his wild ride, courtesy of Jack Kirby -- but filling a role that could have been played by virtually any character. With Abner Little and Princess Zanda, we see him fight various treasure protectors, drive an incredibly stylish ancient vehicle, take on a samurai who's been transplanted to Africa, and more. Tim and Emmet try to keep up with the craziness.
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Ian M is a Japan-based Canadian creator whose work we've discussed on this podcast before. His work is often about Japan, but not necessarily about himself. In The Blossoming City part one, he begins the story (presumably true?) about a community garden in Sapporo, in a story that he tells in a variety of cartooning styles. Tim and Adam discuss.
Eric Paul Johnson is a podcaster who is publishing an archive of his since-discontinued comic strip Loon News: The Comic Strip! on Patreon. Tim and Emmet find that, while the art and lettering certainly improved over the years, perhaps the most notable thing about the strip is what it reveals about its author.
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FLASHBACK! We continue our look at Alan Moore's 1980s run on Swamp Thing— a run in which the title character met werewolves and vampires (as Moore and co. found a new way to use these old tropes), as well as new character John Constantine. Moore was aided by artists Stephen Bissette, John Totleben, and Alfredo Acala, among others. Koom and newcomer Darrell Epp discuss issues 38-50. (Originally published January 30, 2019.) Brought to you by:
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- Who's Who podcast
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FLASHBACK! Even amidst the anything-goes craziness of the early Image years, Sam Kieth's The Maxx was an outlier. While it included some superhero tropes, it wasn't really a superhero book, nor was it like much of anything else on the market, then or now. While it definitely has its weaknesses, Kumar and Dana confirm this week that it was absolutely mind-blowing…and emotionally affecting. Marking Sam Kieth's death on March 15, we re-present this episode. (Originally published May 28, 2012.)
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Somehow it's taken us 20 years of podcasting to get to Jim Steranko's fabled run on Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. But is the early stuff really so fabled? There's lots of action and it's exciting, but don't dare think about it too much, because the seat-of-the-pants plotting is all over the map, and the anatomy drawing sometimes leaves something to be desired. Still, as you go issue by issue, you start to see new ideas coming to him as he starts to innovate with Marvel's Jack Kirby house style. Tim and Kumar discuss the "Fury" stories in Strange Tales 154-163.
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FLASHBACK! Due perhaps to the passage of time, poorly handled reprinting by DC, or some other reason, Alan Moore's writing stint on Swamp Thing in the 1980s does not seem to get mentioned much today. Which is a shame, because it ranks with Moore's best work. And the art by Stephen Bissette and John Totleben (and able fill-in artists) is worth the price of admission by itself, not to mention Tatjana Wood's colors.
Tim and Kumar had a blast reading the early issues of the run (#21-37) and are here to share the experience with you. (Originally published July 16, 2012.)
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We begin our look at Jack Kirby's Black Panther series from the 1970s, introducing a new Kirby character who's a bit too similar to one who first appeared in Captain America! Panther has somehow gotten mixed up in the search for the mate to King Solomon's Frog, an oddball time travel device. The mate is used to return people to their proper point in time. Tim and Emmet discuss the first two issues of the run and how Kirby's Panther dialog just doesn't seem quite right to the modern Marvel reader.
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Sometimes, achieving your dream can be kind of a nightmare, even though it's also rewarding. Claudia, in Katriona Chapman's latest graphic novel The Pass, has started her own restaurant and enjoys creating in the kitchen, but everything else that goes with it wears her down. The book gives us a peek at the ups and downs of running a restaurant and the relationships that form behind the scenes. Tim and Emmet review.
Tim and Emmet on Katriona's 2020 book Breakwater
Kumar and Emmet discuss Dorohedoro
Tim interviews Lucy Knisley
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Inio Asano's Goodnight Punpun gives us what appear to be a family of ghostly birds living in a much more realistic-looking world. People within that world don't see them that way, though. It's a world where authority figures act like ADHD kids, where every parent seems to be abusive or alcoholic (or both), and all seem to be fighting relentless depression. It's well done, but is it worth reading? Tim and Kumar discuss the story, the weirdness, the varying concepts of God, Asano's arguments with fans and with himself, and more.
The Shima Kosaku bus
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After "hunting" the Fantastic Four, the Black Panther reveals that he did it for practice, as he anticipated a battle against his father's killer: Ulysses Klaw. Sure enough, Klaw shows up right on schedule, and the FF help Panther take him down. Tim and Emmet discuss Fantastic Four #53 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby!
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At some point, the idea that some comics should be for adults took over to the extent that it became hard to find good comics for kids. Cartoonist Harold Buchholz was involved in starting an organization called Kids Love Comics that encourages making comics for kids and does events to hook the kids up with good comics aimed at them. Harold joins Tim this week to talk about that, as well as his involvement in Archie Comics and Mystery Science Theater 3000, and why he mostly sells comics at general events rather than comic cons! Harold's Instagram (including Sweetest Beasts comics Robot Monster Comics
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Sixty years ago, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby presided over the debut of the Black Panther in Fantastic Four #52. The story presents the expectations of the average American for stories about Africa (Jungles! Natives! Africa is a country, right?) and defies those expectations by showing a rich, technologically advanced African nation. This time, Tim and Emmet discuss the Panther's debut.
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Jimmy Gownley is the award-winning creator of Amelia Rules, Tanner Rocks, The Dumbest Idea Ever, and more, as well as a co-host of the Unpacking Peanuts podcast. This time, he talks with Tim about why the earliest stuff sells the best (never mind how much his art has improved since then), ergonomics, putting comics on Substack for free, and, of course, Peanuts!
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FLASHBACK! One of the most acclaimed Marvel runs of the 1980s was by Walt Simonson on The Mighty Thor. He began writing and drawing it with #337, continued through to #367 (with a quick break in the middle), then gave up art duties but continued writing through #382. This run set aside Dr. Don Blake, focused on mythical threats rather than earthly ones, and injected some humor into what had sometimes been a fairly dry, dour book. Tim and Kumar look back to assess this important run. (Originally published June 26, 2019.)
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A love triangle. One member feels jilted and goes off the deep end. A gun is involved. Tim and Adam talk about the thriller Lovers Quarrel by Rob Capili, Ikos Karimlan, and Joy Mateo.
- Lovers Quarrel Kickstarter
- Buy the book on Amazon.com
Meanwhile, Digital Bardos has returned! Hippie "digital god" Darren is selling the people on a technology that puts their minds in endless bliss while their bodies are used for slave labor. It's all the rage, but Darren's own son isn't digging the scene. Tim and Jason discuss the new installment of King Klaus's series.
- Download Digital Bardos #1 for free!
- Digital Bardos #2 Kickstarter launching soon
Support victims of the Aussie bushfires Brought to you by:
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Ed Subitzky did a lot of cartooning for National Lampoon back in the '70s and '80s. Much of his work revolves around comics done under certain conditions or showing a certain situation ("Fortune-Telling Comics" "Dull Comics" "Poor Reception Comics"). Neither Kumar nor Tim were familiar with his work until picking up the collection Poor Helpless Comics! The cartoons (and more) of Ed Subitzky, but now that they've read it, this episode features their thoughts.
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While it seems a bit odd to see Captain America fighting Magneto, they do have something in common: Jack Kirby had a hand in creating both! The battle takes place in Captain America Annual #4, from 1977; the story is titled "The Great Mutant Massacre" -- but no, not that one. It's an X-men - adjacent story with some very Kirbyesque bizarre concepts. Tim and Emmet discuss, and also look back at the experience of reading all this 1970s Jack Kirby-penned Cap.
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FLASHBACK! Autobiographical comics are par for the course, but in 1972, Justin Green broke ground for the genre when he published Binky Brown Meets the Holy Virgin Mary. Some of that broken ground hasn't been trod since; how many autobiographical comics about a battle with mental illness have you seen done as wacky parody comics? Lightning-quick pace, phalluses everywhere, and a helpful instructional arrow pointed at a bunch of bananas? It's unlike any autobio comic before or since, and your take on the subject matter may greatly depend on your upbringing. Tim and Kumar examine. (Originally published September 24, 2013.)
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Daredevil: Born Again, by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli, is one of those comics stories that continues to attract attention decades after it was published. Chris Ryall, co-founder and current publisher at Image imprint Syzygy Publishing, is the author of a new book on that story. He talks with Koom in this episode about the arc's religious symbolism, Ben Urich as the story's magic ingredient, and more.
Mazzucchelli art for Marvel Fanfare #40 (Oct 1988) cover, as seen on Koom's wall
Coppola loan application
Chris:
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- Daredevil: Born Again; An Exploration
- Chris on Substack
Koom:
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- Killing Shakespeare
- Koom interviewed on TV about the book
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Jason Shiga is creator of the four-volume series Demon as well as many interactive comics. This week, Koom interviews Jason about his page layout strategy, his connections to Adrian Tomine, the pros and cons of comics where the reader gets a choice of paths through the story, his intriguing new project, and more.
Jason:
- Shigabooks.com
- Demon vol. 1
Koom:
- Killing Shakespeare
- Koom interviewed on TV about the book
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Our first episode was released on December 5, 2005. After 20 years of changes in focus, format, and personnel, as well as Tim self-teaching audio editing, this time we look back at some of what's changed. Also: In our first episode, Tim, Brandon, and Mulele discussed the teaser trailer for Superman Returns; this time, Tim, Kumar, and Emmet review the film!
Episodes mentioned:
- Episode 1: "Superman Returns" "Revelations" "Hellboy" (republished in 2010)
- Episode 116: "Death by Chocolate: Redux" (Kumar's first appearance)
- Episode 134: "The R. Crumb Handbook"
- Episode 425: Aquaman: Why he's not lame (Emmet's first appearance)
- Episode 494: "Batman vs. Superman"
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Longtime comics creator Carol Tyler went through a horrific stretch in her life where she lost numerous loved ones, from her parents, to a neighbor, to her dog, in just a six-year stretch. Many other things of varying levels of horribleness happened within that time, too. Her response is not so much to tell us what she's learned from the experience as to simply try to learn something from it by making a graphic novel about it, which she called The Ephemerata. This week, Tim is joined by Juan Mah y Busch to review.
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The November 16, 2025, Sally Forth strip, with Jim's color guides at the top. Note the appearance of Gregory and Janine from Abbot Elementary in the first panel!
Jim Keefe is a longtime comics creator who has worked on the Flash Gordon (art and story) and Sally Forth (art) newspaper strips as well as being King Features' staff colorist. He has also done lettering and retouching for English editions of various manga, and more. This week he talks with Tim about all of this, as well as his time as a student at the Kubert School, dealing with technological change, and more.
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Jack Kirby wraps up his run on Captain America and the Falcon with issue 214, the rather underwhelming conclusion of the Night Flyer story. But wait! Kirby also did a couple of annuals, so we dig into annual #3 from 1976. Yeaahhhh, that's the stuff! If you haven't been getting enough PULSE-POUNDING ACTION in your comics, this is the issue for you!
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FLASHBACK! If you're into American comics at all, you undoubtedly know how Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko and others changed the industry with their work in the 1960s, and set the template for kinds of stories Marvel still publishes today.
That's just part of the story that Sean Howe researched for his 2012 book Marvel Comics: The Untold Story. Through interviews, research of media reports, and of course tons of comics reading, Howe uncovered the backgrounds of many comics stories and rumors that longtime readers may have wondered about. There's plenty of intra-creator acrimony to be found in its pages, yet Howe found that the book helped some of those involved to move on from decades-old wounds.
This week Tim talks to Sean Howe about the research, the reaction, and what this book has to say to aspiring creators. (Originally published July 7, 2014.)
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Roy Beckwith and the Cursed Continent is a western series by Nick Patch, Jarret Katz, and Fabi Marques. It looks great but it runs at a breakneck pace and seems to be introducing a few too many elements. Tim and Jason discuss.
A French Expat in the U.K., by Agathe Montagnon, was sold through the LDC Online Comics Fair last summer. It's a quick and evenhanded look at some of the differences between the British and French cultures, as experienced by the author herself. American expats in Japan Tim and Adam take a look.
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Last summer's Superman movie was a welcome improvement over many recent films featuring the character, and over much of the recent superhero film entries in general. Kumar and Emmet this week discuss how it comments on Zach Snyder's take, on internet culture, anti-immigrant sentiment, and more. They also address such topics as how the film distinguishes between Superman and Clark Kent, Superman's surprising vulnerability, and the Hall of Justice mural.
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What if your first Star Wars movie were Return of the Jedi? You'd have questions! That's how Tim felt once he got started reading Robotech II: The Sentinels volume 1, a comics continuation of the animated Robotech show that hit the U.S. in 1985. Robotech was a combination of three different anime -- why?? And why is it that, after all these years, the Robotech story doesn't really progress? Tim discusses with longtime Robotech fan Erik Amaya of Comicon.com.
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One of the most highly-regarded English-language strips of all time is George Herriman’s Krazy Kat, featuring the odd love/hate triangle of Krazy, Ignatz, and Officer Pupp. Why was Krazy so gender-ambiguous? How did Herriman’s (somewhat mysterious) racial background influence the strip? Tim and Kumar discuss this and much more. (Originally published September 2, 2013.)
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In 2023, King Features Syndicate decided to bring Flash Gordon, originally created by Alex Raymond and first published in 1934, back from rerun purgatory with new strips, written and drawn by Dan Schkade. Dan was also the artist on Dynamite Entertainment’s Will Eisner’s the Spirit Returns in 2016, and is also known for his original work Lavender Jack, which ran on Webtoon. This week, Tim talks with him about Flash Gordon and some of the trickier aspects of doing a newspaper strip, including refreshing readers’ memories and getting new readers on board while also moving the story forward a step every day. And, in 2025, how do you handle a great villain (Ming the Merciless) who’s also a terrible racial stereotype?
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From 1942 to 1966, many of the Donald Duck comic books published by Dell Comics were written and drawn by Carl Barks. Like most comic book creators at the time, his name was unknown; the Duck comics were all credited to Walt Disney. Fans only knew that his work was by the GOOD duck artist. Barks created Scrooge McDuck and many of the other duck characters that are taken for granted as part of Disney canon today.
What made Barks the standout Duck artist? Were they meant to be satirical, or simply enjoyable stories? Tim, Kumar, and Tom Spurgeon discuss Barks’ work, particularly the Fantagraphics volume Lost in the Andes. (Originally published June 3, 2013.) Comics Journal review of Lost in the Andes
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Captain America and the Falcon #212 concludes the Arnim Zola/Red Skull storyline in somewhat perfunctory fashion, and gives a living castle with big teeth much less P.R. than it deserved! In #213 we meet the strange and underutilized assassin the Night Flyer! (Underwhelming name? Must've been named by Jack Kirby!) Tim and Emmet discuss both issues in this episode.
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Joe Mallard, a favorite of Tim and Jason's from a year ago, is back! Creator Asante Amani has sent us issues 4-6 of this crime series. Did it go over with us as well as the first two issues did?
Ky Lawrence has created a trippy graphic novel about survivor's guilt. In Dream Machine, our protagonist dreams he can sacrifice himself to bring his cancer victim twin back to life. Tim and Adam critique.
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We've been building up to it for months with our reviews of previous Fantastic Four movies. Now it's here, the FF's debut in the MCU, Fantastic Four: First Steps. How well did it scratch that FF itch? Kumar and Jordan once again join Tim to review the film, and discuss how it stacks up against the others (including the unreleased 1994 version).
One idea about what "Subzero Intel" might mean
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This week, Koom interviews Wahab Algarmi, author of Almost Sunset, a graphic novel about a Muslim American boy’s search for balance between his family traditions and the demands of life in Middle School. Koom and Wahab discuss their international family backgrounds as well as the merits or demerits of 1990s Image comics!
Almost Sunset on Amazon
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Ben Wickey has created a graphic novel, More Weight: A Salem Story, that gives us a very deep dive into the Salem witch trials: why they happened, who was to blame, and how the city has dealt with their legacy. This week Koom gets the scoop on what inspired Ben, why his art style seems to vary depending on what point in the past he's writing about, and more.
More Weight: A Salem Story on Amazon.com
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The film is bloated, it's busy, it showcases numerous failures at human communication, and doesn't hit some points it needs to. And yet, Spider-Man 3 screenwriter Alvin Sargent managed to weave together the many plotlines thrust on him to make a script with a message - although not necessarily the one director Sam Raimi had in mind. Tim and Mulele examine Raimi's final Spider-Man film. (Originally published on Patreon May 23, 2020.)
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To this day, Spider-man 2 is considered one of the best superhero movies. How does it stand up to Tim's first viewing, after watching all the MCU movies that came after? What does Mulele notice about the look of the film that's a little annoying? How is Spider-fan Tim feeling about the portrayal of Peter Parker in these movies? These points and more! (Originally published on Patreon April 25, 2020.)
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Tim and Mulele begin reviewing the Sony (pre-MCU) Spider-man movies with a look at 2002's Spider-man, directed by Sam Raimi and starring Tobey Maguire. After watching all the MCU movies, how does this film feel different? How was it affected by 9/11? And more. (Originally published on Patreon April 11, 2020)
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This week, a look at two great new comics submitted by their creators:
God Summoner, by Dio Zogaris and Manos Laouvardos, is a story in the fantasy genre. Tim and Jason thought "Meh" until they actually read it! This is a well-written story with beautiful black and white art.
The Keluarga Cable Ship Company, by Mereida Fajardo, gives us a father and son with communication problems, and a ship that lays down undersea cable through which, well, communication flows. Or doesn’t flow. But what makes the book stand out is its very unusual format that shows great thought and planning on the author’s part. Tim and Adam critique.
LD Comics Fair
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FLASHBACK! Jim Shooter, who was Marvel Editor-in-Chief from 1978 to 1987, passed away on June 30. He wrote a number of comics published by Marvel (including the original Secret Wars series) and by a number of other companies. Two years ago, Koom interviewed Shooter to find out what he thought about Marvel in its current incarnation, get his recollections of Frank Miller and Ann Nocenti’s respective starts in the comics industry, hear his theory that the nursery rhyme "Little Miss Muffet" can be a tool to teach good writing, and more. We re-present the interview this week in observance of his passing. (Originally published August 23, 2023.)
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In the 1960s, both Marvel and DC tried publishing humor books, often in a style reminiscent of MAD Magazine. One of these was DC's Angel and the Ape, about a beautiful young woman and a comics-artist gorilla who run a detective agency. While it only survived for 7 issues (with two title changes!) in 1968-69, somehow it got a Phil Foglio reboot in 1991, and showed up again as a Vertigo book in 2001, co-written by Howard Chaykin and David Tischman. While it's hard to explain the existence of these revivals, comparing the three versions gives us an appreciation of the changes in the US comics industry over 35 years. Tim and Kumar discuss.
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POW! ZAP! Comics may not be for kids anymore, but they still have sound effects! Our own Patrick Ijima-Washburn noticed that Japanese editions of American comics left the sound effects untranslated, and decided to put together a book on how common English sound effects should be translated. Life being what it is, it took well over a decade, but the book is finally out digitally, in both Japanese and English! This time Patrick joins Tim to talk about the genesis of the book, some sound effects trivia (what comic strip first used “ZZZZ” for snoring? Who originated adding “ker-“ to the beginning of a sound effect?), and take a quiz from Tim: if quoted a sound effect from an actual Marvel comic, can he guess what action it’s supposed to represent?
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While the last three issues of Captain America and the Falcon we looked at were rather underwhelming, issues 209 to 211 give us all the kooky science fiction and Kirby Crackle we could want! The appearance of Arnim Zola, in his first face-off with Cap, has revitalized the story. But Falcon seems shunted off to the side, and what the heck happened to Anna Maria's personality?? Tim and Emmet discuss these three issues.
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We conclude our look at 2015's Fant4stic, directed by Josh Trank. Trank's behavior on the set (and on Twitter) have been nothing but bad for his career, and studio meddling was nothing but bad for a film that wasn't a good take on the FF, but might have at least been a better film if Trank had been left alone. As it was, we're left with yet another FF movie that's short on explanations of Dr. Doom's objectives.
Videos drawn on for this episode:
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- Does the "Trank Cut" of Fantastic Four (2015) Exist? (Frame by Frame)
- Fant4stic Four (2015) — One X-cruciating Scene | Anatomy Of A Failure (Filmento)
- FANTASTIC FOUR (2015) BREAKDOWN! WTF Really Happened With This Movie? (New Rockstars)
- Inside Josh Trank’s Director’s Cut of Fantastic Four (Bullets & Blockbusters)
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Should a director re-interpret a property when nobody wanted it re-interpreted? 2015's Fant4stic, directed by Josh Trank, turns getting superpowers into an exercise in body horror. Much of its inspiration comes from Bendis and Millar's very straightfaced Ultimate Fantastic Four comics, Trank threw in a liberal helping of The Fly and Scanners. Tim, Kumar, and Jordan (in another crossover with the Comic Book Movie Oblivion podcast) look at the first appearance of the Negative Zone in Fantastic Four #51 by Lee and Kirby, and at Ultimate Fantastic Four v. 1, before beginning a look at the film itself.
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After the (connected) short stories of Safer Places, Kit Anderson's new book is a full-on graphic novel called Second Shift (again from Avery Hill) which has gotten some breathlessly positive reviews from writers who give the impression they totally understand it. At Deconstructing Comics, our reviews tend to be more nuanced. What did we think of it? I’m joined by Loyala Marymount University professor Juan Mah y Busch to examine this book, and we’re not afraid to say we found it difficult to understand!
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FLASHBACK! Eileen Gray: A House Under the Sun is a slim graphic novel by Charlotte Malterre-Barthes and Zosia Dzierzawska, about the titular famous Irish architect that most people have never heard of. Kumar and Emmet found it beautiful and intriguing; here’s their review. (Originally published August 28, 2019.) This episode includes a new intro from Emmet, referring to the recent film about Gray.
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Ken Krimstein's Einstein in Kafkaland: How Albert Fell Down the Rabbit Hole and Came up with the Universe builds on the fact that these two stars of the early 20th century were part of the same friend group at one point and builds it up into what NPR described as “Alice in Wonderland meets The Lives of the Poets meets Krazy Kat.” This week Emmet talks with Ken about the book, the two historical figures featured in it, and the nature of comics itself.
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Joe Sacco has been covering the Israel-Palestine conflict in varying forms since 1991: first in Palestine, then in Footnotes in Gaza, and most recently in War on Gaza. It's too much for Kumar and Dana to contain in their heads all at once, both in terms of information and emotion, especially for poor Kumar, who struggles to form complete sentences through the entire episode. And it was a herculean task for Joe Sacco, too, as he confesses right on the page, but the end result is monumental. Never Again and Again by Joe Sacco and Art Spiegelman, from The New York Review (Feb 27, 2025) Brought to you by: * Full Manga Alchemists * Our supporters on Patreon
FLASHBACK! The 1990s DC series Starman is one of comicdom’s most fondly remembered series. Interestingly, says series author James Robinson, it seems to be more popular now than it was when it was actually in production! James joins Tim and Ryan Haupt this week to look back on various aspects of this iconic series, including the theme of “legacy”, a sneaky crossover with another series, a story arc that never happened, the differences in how the Big Two have dealt with their Golden Age characters, and much more. (Originally published January 6, 2014)
James Robinson on Science…Sort Of in October 2009
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Fables of Fear is an anthology horror title by Karl Brandt and David Parsons. Tim and Adam discuss; there are some good short stories here, but maybe they're a bit ... TOO short? Black Plastic, by Josh Tierney and Nicci Busse is, as its writer says, a "karaoke cyber-thriller" graphic novel. That's his description; Tim and Jason aren't quite sure what to think of it. Are we getting too old for this comics-critique stuff?
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FLASHBACK! This week a wide-ranging discussion between two Canadians, Koom and Ian, about comics in Canada. The talk centers on Montreal-based publisher Drawn & Quarterly, and two books from their catalog: Michel Rabagliati’s 2005 book Paul Moves Out, and the latest from Jillian Tamaki, Boundless. Also, some deep background on the history and people behind Toronto comics shop The Beguiling. (Originally published August 7, 2017)
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FLASHBACK! Skim is a coming-of-age graphic novel written by Mariko Tamaki, and drawn by her cousin Jillian Tamaki. Jillian works primarily in the field of illustration; how does she find that different from drawing a comic? Is it wrong to say that a comic is “illustrated”? She also discusses her perhaps unorthodox collaboration with Mariko on Skim, and reviews of the book that see meanings in it that were completely unintentional, in this interview. (Originally published December 14, 2009)
Also, Tim met Jillian at Kaigai Manga Festa in Tokyo in 2015. That interview, from episode 474, also appears in this episode. (Originally published November 23, 2015)
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This week we look at the movie that was based on the "Galactus Trilogy" of Fantastic Four #48-50, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. How does it stand up against the comics, and against the 2005 film? How do we feel about Galactus being a cloud of smoke? Does Doom finally have a real plan in this one? Once again, Tim is joined by Kumar and Jordan of the Comic Book Movie Oblivion podcast to dig into this film, as we count down to the upcoming MCU debut of the FF.
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One of the most famous Fantastic Four stories is the "Galactus Trilogy" from Fantastic Four 48-50 in 1966. This story has been adopted more than once, including in the 1990s FF cartoon, and in 2007's Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. Leading into our discussion of that movie next week, this week Tim, Kumar, and Jordan, in another crossover with the Comic Book Movie Oblivion podcast, look at the original comics story. While it's been quite lauded, and very influential, why can it also be considered flawed?
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When Steve and Sam foil an attempt by police from south of the border to arrest their friendly waiter, the cops decide to arrest Steve instead! Hey, beats heading home empty handed! What looks like it's going to be a story about Cap (and maybe Falcon?) locked up in a Central American prison takes several odd turns: Cap is never locked up, Sam never even arrives there, and then a fish monster shows up! These three issues conclude with the coming of a then-new Cap villain who we all know and loathe. Tim and Emmet try to avoid saying "Ay caramba!"
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In Clyde Fans by Seth, two brothers run a fan company for fifty years. One might expect it to be prosaic, but instead it's an immersive and epic exploration of the sense and meaning of life, every life, even when it's not apparent on the surface. Kumar and Dana ask the big questions.
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Briana Loewinsohn, who got a lot of praise two years back for her graphic memoir Ephemera, is back with a new book, Raised by Ghosts. It’s a slightly fictionalized look at Briana’s teen years, acting as both a time capsule of late-20th-century teenager culture, and the struggles of being comfortable with oneself that ‘s almost synonymous with the word “teenager.” This week an interview with Briana about her new book, and then Tim and Jason review it.
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What's that Kirby Crackle octopus chasing Cap and Falcon? And didn't it used to be an oddly muscular, bald (naturally) corpse? It's Agron, who gives our heroes some headaches in Captain America and the Falcon issues 204 and 205. Not the best Jack Kirby Cap adventure ever, but it produces at least one wildly T-shirt-worthy panel! Tim and Emmet discuss.
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The Night People are looking for a superhero. But who are the Night People? Where do they come from? And what does one have to sacrifice to become their superhero? Tim and Emmet discuss Captain America and the Falcon issues 201-203!
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Michael Cohen has created comics such as Strange Attractors and Tangled River, and is credited with helping to create the first known comic book price guide. He’s also co-host of the Unpacking Peanuts podcast, and his talk with Tim includes discussion of Charles Schultz’s strip, including about the reason why Michael has no interest in Peanuts animation!
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While the 2005 film Fantastic Four gives us, debatably, a well-casted group of heroes, with plenty of comics-accurate details, the script does no favors to Dr. Doom. What are his goals, other than "taking everything back" from Reed? Why is he a CEO instead of a despot? Who the heck gives a frightening metal mask as a thank-you gift?? This time, Tim, Kumar, and Jordan (in a crossover with the Comic Book Movie Oblivion podcast) conclude their look at this film, and cap it off with a review of its endless development process.
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The Star Tide Shores is an action space adventure comic that isn't afraid to get a little deeper emotionally than, say, Star Wars. Tim and Adam enjoyed reading the first volume, by Henry Goeldner and Illuminated, and are here to give you the scoop.
After the fiasco of the 1994 unreleased Fantastic Four movie, development proceeded on a big-budget FF film, which finally hit theaters in 2005 -- a better film than the '94 attempt in some ways, but frustratingly as bad or worse in others. This week, in another crossover with the Comic Book Movie Oblivion podcast, Tim is joined by Kumar and Jordan to begin a two-part look at this film (as well as a few 1980s FF comics).
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Captain America was the obvious choice of a character to help Marvel celebrate the USA's bicentennial in 1976. The job of doing that went to Jack Kirby, co-creator of the character. Naturally, that meant a story full of hard-hitting moments, and one that gets a bit treacly at the end, but also doesn't back away from difficult moments in US history. This week, Tim and Emmet discuss the treasury-size special Captain America's Bicentennial Battles.
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Oni are mythical monsters similar to the ogres of Western tradition. Like many of the legendary Japanese creatures, their characteristics are often adopted for manga characters, including series such as Lum, The Promised Neverland, and Demon Slayer. Our own Patrick has compiled a lot of data on them, and he's here this time to fill us in. He also discusses the main points of monster theory.
Watch Patrick's videos on oni and other Japanese creatures
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The second omnibus volume of Mitsuru Adachi's Cross Game focuses largely on a scrimmage between the varsity team and the "portables", which doesn't go how anyone expects it to. Things are shifting subtly under the surface; we're pretty sure what the series is leading up to (it's a baseball manga, after all), but it's fun to watch it develop. And of course, it never lets us forget vol. 1's tragedy, even as Adachi hits us with goofy jokes. Tim and Kumar brush up on their baseball terms as they go through this volume.
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When Hugh D'Andrade was ten years old, his next door neighbor was mysteriously murdered, and he saw the body. In his forthcoming graphic memoir The Murder Next Door, he explores the trauma this caused him as the experience stuck with him over decades, and he explores the question: If someone else has had a worse experience than mine, does that mean my trauma is less important than theirs? In this episode, Tim interviews Hugh, and then Jason joins Tim to review the book.
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Brad Guigar, creator of Evil Inc., has been putting his comics on the Web for over 20 years, and this week he's here to talk about how he made that his day job, the challenges of promoting your work in a changing media environment, how making an erotic comic (his Patreon-only spinoff Evil Inc. After Dark) forced him to up his game, and his new project to help NSFW comics creators support each other and find new readers!
Waaay back in 2008, we reviewed How to Make Webcomics, co-authored by Brad
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Tim is now completely caught up with the MCU! Mulele joins him to discuss the most recently released (as of this episode's recording) Marvel Cinematic Universe film, last summer's Spider-Man: Far From Home! (Originally published on Patreon March 28, 2020)
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Now that we've become familiar with Jack Kirby's original Eternals comics, repeatedly referring to the 2021 MCU film along the way, it's time to sit through all two hours and 37 minutes of it again and evaluate it anew. Unfortunately, as a movie, it still has just as many problems, but at least now Tim and Emmet can get a better idea of what those problems were. And also take note of the bright spots.
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Samuel Edme's comic The Shapes is... a bit hard to pin down. It looks like notebook scribblings, it has its faults, but it seems to have found an audience, which is all a comics creator can ask for. Bad? No. Not for us? Probably. Tim and Adam attempt to describe it anyway.
We've reached the end of Jack Kirby's Eternals series. Sure, it was a weird series, but introducing a Hulk robot apparently did little for the sales numbers. How did Kirby wrap things up? For a series that featured so many characters (though not as many as the freakin' movie, which we'll get to soon!), he took the odd step of giving us an Ikaris solo adventure, with a Celestial-in-the-machine ending. Not really what we wanted from a series that we initially found enjoyable. Tim and Emmet discuss the series wrapup.
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The 1994 film The Fantastic Four seems to have been made with the expectation, at least from producer Roger Corman on down, that it would be released. While some interested parties have claimed that it was only made to help Constantin Film's Bernd Eichinger keep his option to make an FF film from expiring, others say that someone stepped in to kill it after the film was made. In part two of our FF '94 crossover with Comic Book Movie Oblivion, Tim, Kumar, and Jordan finish walking through the film itself, and then explore the possible reasons why it never hit your local multiplex.
Watch the film on YouTube
Watch Doomed: The Untold Story of Roger Corman’s Fantastic Four on YouTube
Read the 2005 Los Angeles magazine article "Fantastic Faux"
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By the early '90s, Superman and Batman were blockbuster movie franchises, but Marvel had yet to find a way to get a big-budget film made based on their characters, let alone succeed at the box office. Bernd Eichinger of Constantin Film owned the film rights to the Fantastic Four, but those rights were soon to expire. So he teamed up with B-movie producer Roger Corman to bang out an FF film -- which, for somewhat unclear reasons, never came out. This week, in a crossover with the Comic Book Movie Oblivion podcast, Tim is joined by Kumar and Jordan; some early FF comics are evaluated, and then we begin a two-part discussion of the film, what's good and bad about it, and the (apparent) reasons it never hit screens.
Watch the film on YouTube
Watch Doomed: The Untold Story of Roger Corman's Fantastic Four on YouTube
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Jack Kirby's The Eternals was not a conventional superhero book. It didn't even seem to take place in the Marvel Universe. By issue 14, it appears that Marvel editorial must have been pressuring him to make it more Marvel Universe-y, which would account for the appearance of the Hulk in issues 14-16... except it's not really the Hulk, leaving plausible deniability to the fact that this is really happening in the MU. But, along with New York City, the Pseudo-Hulk also smashed the direction of the series. Tim and Emmet sift through the damage.
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This week we catch up with the work of two DCP favorites, Chad Bilyeu and David Dye! Chad’s series The Re-up, about his time as a pot dealer 20 years ago, continues and has overcome the skepticism Tim had of the series at the start. David has released three more issues of Amazing Tales and gone in various directions: a Beowulf adaptation, a Burroughs-esque time travel story commenting on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and an EC-type horror comic! We review The Re-up issues 4-6 and Amazing Tales issues 6-8!
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If you’ve ever felt like your city left you before you left your city, Jason McNamara’s Ghost* Band*** is for you. Tim and Emmet discuss this post-apocalyptic look at San Francisco. Jason then taps in to explain the inspiration for the book and what happened to artist Vincent Gladnick 2/3 of the way through.
Meanwhile, in Nigeria, the Grim Reaper has an apprentice, and he saves a girl’s life — temporarily. Grimm’s Assistant, by Mamode Ogbewele and Chigozie Amadi, might be a little too stingy with important story info, but sharp art and interesting ideas make it worth Tim and Jason’s time reviewing it.
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If you've ever felt like your city left you before you left your city, Jason McNamara's Ghost Band is for you. Tim and Emmet discuss this post-apocalyptic look at San Francisco. Jason then taps in to explain the inspiration for the book and what happened to artist Vincent Gladnick 2/3 of the way through. Meanwhile, in Nigeria, the Grim Reaper has an apprentice, and he saves a girl's life -- temporarily. Grimm’s Assistant, by Mamode Ogbewele and Chigozie Amadi, might be a little too stingy with important story info, but sharp art and interesting ideas make it worth Tim and Jason's time reviewing it.
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Tim gets ever closer to catching up with the MCU! Tim and Mulele discuss Avengers: Endgame's time-travel explanation (and problems), Captain Marvel's relative irrelevance to the film, how this movie set the stage for the upcoming TV shows, and much more. (Originally published on Patreon March 14, 2020)
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FLASHBACK! Sports have rarely been subject matter for comics in the US; perhaps comics’ inherent static-ness has seemed antithetical to an activity with so much movement. But Japan has seen comics about various sports, and some of them have been quite popular, even iconic. Takehiko Inoue’s Real is not only about basketball, but about physical handicaps, relationships, and more. Kumar and Ilango find a whole lot to like about it — including the satisfying ways in which it translates sports action to the comics page. (Originally published February 16, 2015.)
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Most Americans know little about the Crimean War (1853-1856). Adam McGovern and Bruno Letizia’s The Night Brigade may go some way toward filling us in on that conflict, and it does give us several historical figures, including Florence Nightingale - but it also features a werewolf. Tim and Adam critique. Asante Amani's Joe Mallard gives us short detective stories that feel a bit like Matt Kindt's work. Tim and Jason are hoping for more!
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We left the Eternals joined together in the Unimind. The 1977 Annual doesn't clearly fit into continuity, but features only one Eternal, Thena, together with Deviants Karkas and the Reject against a time-traveling threat! Back in the regular series, issue 13 gives us exactly two Eternals, trying to stop a Deviant attack on the Celestials. In spite of the lack of Eternals, these are two of the most fun issues Tim and Emmet have read yet!
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Chester Brown’s work has come up on this show a number of times over the years. We’ve discussed Ed the Happy Clown, Louie Riel, and Paying for It. He’s actually published 10 graphic novels since 1989, some of which are collections of his comics series. In connection with the recent premiere of the movie version of Paying for It at the Toronto International Film Festival, our own Koom got a chance to interview Brown for this week’s show!
Check out Koom’s novel, Killing Shakespeare
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FLASHBACK! A comic strip gag can be a deceptively simple thing. Once you take it apart — “deconstruct” it, one might say — you find that it actually has many moving parts.
Click to enlargePaul Karasik and Mark Newgarden‘s How to Read “Nancy” takes a close look at each of those parts — as well as arguing persuasively for Bushmiller’s underrated artistic chops, and giving us some comic-strip history as well. Tim and Patrick review.
PLUS: Roland Mann, Dean Zachary, and Kevin Gallegly join Tim to talk about the return of Cat and Mouse! (Originally published May 21, 2018.)
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What does an 11-year-old do when her “only friend” moves away? In Coco Fox’s “sorta” memoir Let’s Go, Coco, she joins the basketball team. But when you’re a pre-teen, everything’s fraught with challenges. Tim and Adam discuss this book – aimed at middle schoolers, but recommended for all ages.
As far from that world as possible is the first issue of King Klaus’ Digital Bardos (now live on Kickstarter). It introduces us to Darren — make that “All-Mighty Darren,” a digital god. The issue begins to answer the question of how he got that way. Tim and Jason critique.
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FLASHBACK! It’s been more than 70 years now since the debut of Archie comics, featuring (though not quite from the beginning) America’s favorite love triangle of Archie, Veronica, and Betty. Along with Jughead, Reggie, and the rest of the gang, these characters keep us coming back for more, changing with the times while still presenting an idealized America where drugs, booze, and sex seem not to exist. This week Tim talks with Archie ubercollector (and Coliseum of Comics Back Issue Manager) Jack Copley about what keeps Archie interesting, some of his favorite stories and creators, and “The Archie Room”! (Originally published November 12, 2012.)
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Eternals are only human, I guess! In Eternals issues 9-12, many of the Eternals exhibit a segregationist attitude toward the Deviants, and just about everybody assumes Karkas is going to kick the Reject‘s butt in a fight based solely on how they look. Meanwhile, are the Celestials kind, or sadistic? Tim and Emmet discuss Jack Kirby‘s statements on prejudice, as well as a shocking turn of events for a group of Soviet generals, pioneering the concept of dozens of superpowered beings in costumes all hanging out together, and… exclamation points!
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FLASHBACK! A then-recent R. Crumb compilation is reviewed by a Crumb connoisseur (Kumar) and a Crumb newbie (Tim). The book features Crumb at his sweetest and his most shocking. But can this (or any book) claim to be the perfect Crumb compilation? (Originally published June 30, 2008.)
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Once again we take a look at some comics submitted by their creators; we talk about what we liked about them and what could have been better.
Jane Jet book 1: Nuclear Shadows, by writer Amal Desai and artist Paul Essenson, recalls Dave Stevens’ Rocketeer — the art, the jet-pack concept, the time period — but it deals with a woman getting out of an abusive relationship. Tim and Jason critique.
The Fog Within, by writer Sean Wood and artist Deivid Deon, is a post-apocalyptic science fiction story, which… might have a few too many story elements. Tim and Adam discuss issues 1 and 2.
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FLASHBACK! While Alan Moore and J.H. Williams’ Promethea, published from 1999 to 2005, is not one of Moore’s most remembered works, it’s not because the author wasn’t at the top of his game. Kumar and Emmet find it to be entrancing, even if you don’t buy into the various magical and spiritual elements that Moore built into it. Also, inevitably, the incorporation of Promethea and other Moore creations into the DC Universe comes up; is it really just a business decision, or is the publisher singling out Moore’s work out of spite? (Originally published April 30, 2018.)
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FLASHBACK! Harold Gray’s Little Orphan Annie debuted in 1924 and was a big success. FDR having not yet turned him against organized labor, Gray shows hardworking Annie going on strike in one of her many jobs. Tim and Kumar discuss the ’20s strips, their strengths and idiosyncrasies (one strip=one day?!), and how Gray’s outlook changed later. In observance of the strip’s 100th anniversary, we re-present this episode! (Originally published September 26, 2011.)
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Back in Critiquing Comics 154, Tim and Mulele discussed 2019’s Captain Marvel; Tim enjoyed it, Mulele did not. Now that we’ve arrived at the time to give it a full review as part of “Tim Catches Up with the MCU,” another viewing has helped us both to clarify our positions and see things we didn’t realize the first time around. Join us as we take a somewhat more nuanced look at the film. (Originally published on Patreon February 29, 2020)
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Back in Critiquing Comics 154, Tim and Mulele discussed 2019's Captain Marvel; Tim enjoyed it, Mulele did not. Now that we've arrived at the time to give it a full review as part of "Tim Catches Up with the MCU," another viewing has helped us both to clarify our positions and see things we didn't realize the first time around. Join us as we take a somewhat more nuanced look at the film. (Originally published on Patreon February 29, 2020)
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FLASHBACK! Twenty years after the first collection of Hicksville was released, creator Dylan Horrocks talks to Emmet about how the comic looks to him now. Some of the work’s commentary on the comics industry turned out to presage subsequent developments, and in some cases he ended up not going far enough! Also, his source for a Jack Kirby quote that many experts were unaware of; the public’s misinterpretation of the term “graphic novel”; the explosion of female and minority comics creators, especially outside of the Big Two; and more. (This episode was originally published on July 2, 2018.)
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FLASHBACK! Twenty years after the first collection of Hicksville was released, creator Dylan Horrocks talks to Emmet about how the comic looks to him now. Some of the work’s commentary on the comics industry turned out to presage subsequent developments, and in some cases he ended up not going far enough! Also, his source for a Jack Kirby quote that many experts were unaware of; the public’s misinterpretation of the term “graphic novel”; the explosion of female and minority comics creators, especially outside of the Big Two; and more. (This episode was originally published on July 2, 2018.)
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Reading the original Jack Kirby iteration of The Eternals shows that the MCU movie based on the title was rather dour, where Kirby’s version veers into wackiness! Sersi shows quite the sense of humor. SHIELD agents appear who just can’t seem to accept that they can’t get the upper hand on giant space gods! People are broken into atoms, and then reconstituted, alive! Tim and Emmet continue their look at Kirby’s 1970s work with Eternals 5-8!
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Reading the original Jack Kirby iteration of The Eternals shows that the MCU movie based on the title was rather dour, where Kirby's version veers into wackiness! Sersi shows quite the sense of humor. SHIELD agents appear who just can't seem to accept that they can't get the upper hand on giant space gods! People are broken into atoms, and then reconstituted, alive! Tim and Emmet continue their look at Kirby's 1970s work with Eternals 5-8!
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Mitsuru Adachi’s Cross Game is a baseball manga for people who don’t care about baseball. A tragedy early in the story helps to shape the narrative, but there’s also a good dose of unexpected comedy, and sequences that really make us want to cheer for Ko and his friends as they work toward the goal of reaching the high school baseball championship. Kumar at last succeeds at getting this one on the podcast schedule, and Tim is happy to come along.
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Jonah Lobe, after many years designing characters for video games, has recently turned his attention to comics. He's the illustrator of Marvel Anatomy: A Scientific Study of the Superhuman, in which we can finally learn just what's going on inside characters like Wolverine, Venom, and Modok. He's also on the verge of his first Kickstarter campaign, for Quiet: Level One, about a skeleton named Quiet who's up against an evil Conan the Barbarian-type called Galahorn. He talks with Tim about his inspiration for Quiet, the difference between making video games and making comics, whether anatomy is important in cartoony drawing styles, and more.
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On the surface, Sammy Harkham’s Blood of the Virgin is about an editor of b-movies in 1970s L.A. who has greater artistic aspirations, but it’s also rich with unexpected explorations of character and narrative approaches, themes about the creative process, responsibility, and being an immigrant, and Harkham’s best art and writing to date. Over a decade in the making, the book was finally released in a collected volume last year, and the work shows. Matt E. and Kumar can’t help but heap praise on it.
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Batman meets Italy’s humorous horror icon Dylan Dog in a beautiful three-issue series, originally published in Italian and recently released in English from DC. Tim and Emmet could recommend it on the art alone, but the story gives us a lot to discuss as well, including very rich conversations between characters and an interesting take on the Caped Crusader.
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Paul Pate releases his third "Detective Perez" graphic novel, called Autotropolis, a turned-to-eleven detective story that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Tim and Jason find a lot to like and not too terribly much to advise on -- though of course almost any work can still be improved! Right?
Griz Grobus, the latest from Simon Roy, is about a robot advocate for eating your veggies on a planet where humans have settled just in the past few hundred years. It's also about how the spirit of a war god ends up in the body of... well, that would be telling. Tim and Adam discuss whether, in this case, maybe a work can't possibly be improved!
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Sure, comics are great for fantastical stories, but they can tell intimate, personal stories as well -- or sometimes the personal and the fantastical mix well. Artist and writer Pidge is the creator of the series Infinite Wheatpaste, which employs this method. Avery Hill has just published a collection of the series, called Infinite Wheatpaste vol 1: Catalytic Conversions. This week Pidge talks with Emmet about her attraction to the comics medium, but concern that it doesn't cover all the aspects of life that it could: "Having coffee with your friend is worth putting in a comic."
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So many Jack Kirby creations focus on gods, from The Mighty Thor to New Gods; he picked up concepts from myth or elsewhere and made them his. Kirby's The Eternals makes no bones about where its inspiration came from: Erich von Däniken's 1968 book Chariots of the Gods?. This week Tim and Emmet discuss the first four issues, from 1976. And play along with Emmet in the ongoing game "Did someone lift this idea from Kirby?"
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Clover and* Cutlass is a Dungeons and Dragons-inspired fantasy YA comedy web comic by Toby Boyd. Adam joins Tim to discuss. Coiled to Strike*** is an anthology book from Wildstar Press, featuring numerous artists and writers, focused on the adventures of legendary wild west antihero Emory Graves. Jason joins Tim to critique.
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Clover and Cutlass is a Dungeons and Dragons-inspired fantasy YA comedy web comic by Toby Boyd. Adam joins Tim to discuss. Coiled to Strike is an anthology book from Wildstar Press, featuring numerous artists and writers, focused on the adventures of legendary wild west antihero Emory Graves. Jason joins Tim to critique.
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Friend of the show Irene Strychalski, former artist of such Marvel titles as Gwenpool and Silk, has been focused on her original title Fiendish, a lushly drawn (and colored, by Carlos Nicolas Zamudio) fantasy story. This week, Tim and Patrick discuss the first two volumes.
Also, Tim presents a mini-review of Safer Places by Kit Anderson, another book from our friends at Avery Hill.
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Berserk volume 12 left us at a crucial point: The Band of the Hawk were to be sacrificed so that Griffith can join the Godhand. Horrified, Tim and Kumar moved quickly on to volume 13, which left us… horrified, in a less fun way. Casca is raped, in an unnecessarily long, confusing, and (ick) titillating scene (and we have to talk about it, so be warned).
The rest of 13 and the start of 14 finally bring us up to the status quo of the first 2 1/2 volumes, and get us started on a new story of Guts and Puck which…. doesn’t seem to move the story forward at all. While there are good points, our feelings about Kentaro Miura‘s series have become more complicated. And, by the way, how necessary was this 11-volume flashback?
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This week, an interview with Tessa Hulls, author of the graphic memoir Feeding Ghosts. It’s about her Chinese grandmother’s persecution by Chairman Mao’s government, the mental illness that resulted, the effect that had on Tessa’s mother and then on Tessa herself. It’s about Chinese history, trauma, psychology, family relationships, and more. Tim interviews Tessa about the book and how she learned to make comics, and then Emmet joins Tim to review the book.
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FLASHBACK! Paul Karasik and David Mazzucchelli’s comics version of City of Glass, a 1985 novel by Paul Auster, is an amazing adaptation of an unfilmable novel. Tim and Kumar assess the herculean task of adapting it, in probably the only medium capable of doing so: comics! We re-present this episode in observance of Auster’s passing on April 30 at age 77. Originally published February 16, 2009.
Kentaro Miura’s Berserk can be upsetting, fascinating, offputting, incredible, and even sometimes a bit comedic, as Tim and Kumar have found over the past several months. All those qualities appear again in volumes 11 and 12, as the story of the extended flashback reaches its climax with Griffith’s horrific accession to the God Hand. Join us as we discuss the cartoonish violence of volume 11 and the epic horror of volume 12.
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What did Marvel expect Jack Kirby to do with a 2001: A Space Odyssey series? Especially when they told him not to create any ongoing characters? What we got included the Monolith and the Star Child, but with unmistakable Kirby bombast. After concluding his story of superhero-obsessed Harvey Norton in issue 6, and a one-shot exploration of what happens after becoming a star child in issue 7, for the final three issues Kirby seems to have abandoned not only his instructions to create no ongoing characters, but also nearly any references to the 2001 world of Arthur C. Clarke and Stanley Kubrick! The story went all-the-way Kirby with the introduction of a new superhero, Mister Machine, later known as Machine Man! Tim and Emmet look at 2001's concluding five issues.
"The Crazy Legacy of Jack Kirby’s Forgotten 2001: A Space Odyssey" (Wired.com)
Read the 2001 series on Archive.org
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As Jack Kirby's adaptation of the movie/novel 2001: A Space Odyssey sold well, Marvel asked him to turn it into a series -- but then tied one hand behind his back by asking that he not create ongoing characters for fear they'd become property of MGM rather than Marvel. As Tim and Emmet see in the first half of the series, it starts out as theme and variations on Dave Bowman's transformation into a Star Child, but the variations become more elaborate and interesting as he goes.
"The Crazy Legacy of Jack Kirby’s Forgotten 2001: A Space Odyssey" (Wired.com)
Read the 2001 series on Archive.org
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Critiquing Comics returns, with a comic that we just couldn’t put down, and one that we couldn’t quite pick up on! Jason joins Tim to discuss Rebirth of the Gangster: The Complete Collection, a crime novel with incredible forward momentum by Writer CJ Standal and Artist Juan Romera. Then Adam and Tim critique Toe & So Long, a rather cosmicky, rather AdventureTimey comic created by Jacob Michael Campbell with art by Alexis Vivallo.
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The character of Swamp Thing originated in House of Secrets #92 in 1971, drawn by Berni Wrightson and written by Len Wein. That story served as a first draft for the real origin story in Swamp Thing #1, with the same creative pairing. This week, Tim is joined by writer for CBR and Screen Rant Ashley Land to discuss the collection Swamp Thing: The Bronze Age vol. 1!
Crowdfunding campaign for Ashley's comic The Unbreakable Argonauts #1
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Batman and the Outsiders was one of DC's top sellers in the 1980s. This time, Tim is joined by John Trumbull to take a close look at the second volume of the series, which includes the reveal of Halo's origin, exploration of Metamorpho's, the 1984 L.A. Olympics, time travel, and more. Don't forget the Mike W. Barr wordplay and great Jim Aparo art!
Tim and John discussed the first volume of the series here.
John writes for Back Issue magazine (and is an admin on their Facebook group) and co-hosts the SNL Nerds podcast.
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Kentaro Miura’s Berserk can be confounding. Reading volumes 9 and 10 prompts us to ask “Just what genre IS this comic, anyway?" While it still has plenty of over-the-top action and violence, it also has gratuitous sex, comedy, and even some horror elements. And now we finally have hints toward why the "present" of volumes 1-3 had so many magical elements that have been mostly missing from the ongoing flashback. Tim and Kumar ask "Could it be the magic at last?"
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After the gravitas of Avengers: Infinity War, which ended in a blaze of glory only for the villain, what did we want next? A fun, lighthearted romp of a movie. Right? No? Well, that's what we got and this movie is certainly fun. But it doesn't resolve a single thread from Infinity War. Mulele struggles to avoid spoilers for Tim as we review Ant-Man and the Wasp! (Originally published on Patreon February 1, 2020)
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FLASHBACK! Though the highly influential manga series, and resulting TV show, are known for non-stop action and fighting, Dragon Ball started out as a comedy strip reminiscent of Akira Toriyama's early work, Dr. Slump! Viz's English versions have gone through various levels of censorship over time to adjust to the low level of sexuality that most Americans expect of kids' books. Except, most of the characters themselves don't understand sexuality, and that's the charm of it; it's best enjoyed (probably by kids as well) in its pristine form...if you can find it! In memory of Akira Toriyama, we re-present our review of the original Dragon Ball series. Tim, Kumar, and Mulele review. (Originally published August 16, 2010.)
Visual censorship comparisons below (NSFW but probably safe for Japanese kids):
For this episode I read two different versions of DragonBall -- the original floppies in CBR format and the slightly-larger-than-usual "White Book" edition.
Floppy Cover
White Book cover
I had initially read online that the White editions were the most uncensored version, so I bought Volume 1. After further reading, I discovered that this was actually the complete opposite: the White Books are the most censored version of Dragon Ball up until Volume 3. Starting with Volume 4, they started putting a "Ages 13 and Up" label on the front, and this series then becomes the mosst UNcensored version available. My understanding is that editions AFTER the White Book series returned to being censored again to various degrees, with almost no two editions the same. Note the DRAGON BALL Z cross-promotion on the cover of the White edition -- as we discuss in the episode, I suspect fear of the mass TV audience is what all the edits in this edition.
Here is a sampling. (It's been several years since I read them in Japanese, so I can't speak to changes in the floppy editions from the Japanese originals.) I apologize in advance for the sloppiness of my scans. A dialog change:
Another dialog change here. Is the word "shorts" really that suggestive?! Isn't the word "studly" by connotation even more suggestive?
Nudity change:
Also, in the White edition, Goku's privates are covered up by the towel in this scene:
Another nudity edit here. This time, Bulma's breasts are covered with reflection in the glass. I believe I have also seen another version where she is instead covered by suds.
Also, how does Bulma's pose make any sense in this edit? (Notice the art touch-up as well.)
All of Goku's "pat-pats" to check for male genitals have been re-drawn and are referred to as "staring":
Two key (and hilarious) panels completely removed:
The VERY racy "bra size" gag (the edit makes Oolong's puff-puff gesture nonsensical): Finally, a non-sexual penis reference. I find this one problematic because it avoids the hilarity of Goku still not understanding that women do not have penises:
What I find slightly odd about all this is that Toriyama refused to allow his work to be flipped (left-to-right reading) for Western audiences, resulting in the unprecedented first non-flipped manga in North America. And yet, he seemed to have no issues with them editing the artwork for other purposes.
Kumar
FLASHBACK! In 1998, under the “Marvel Knights” banner, Christopher Priest began the first ongoing Black Panther title in nearly two decades. Panther was a relatively unknown character to many Marvel readers at the time. With the aid of “Emperor of Useless White Boys” Everett K. Ross, and artists like Mark Texeira and Joe Jusko, Priest (a.k.a. Jim Owsley) made Panther a must-read and brought the nature of his character into sharper focus. Kumar and Tim discuss the first 17 issues (the ones included in Black Panther by Christopher Priest: The Complete Collection Volume 1) and see if it still stands up 23 years later. (This episode was originally published March 10, 2021.)
Michael Hoskin’s 4-part article
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Ryoko Kui’s Delicious in Dungeon pokes fun at fantasy games and cooking manga tropes, exploring what it would really be like to be a character in a fantasy game, arranging your life in ways that wouldn’t really make sense in the real world. This week, Kumar and Emmet do a deep dive on this consistently enjoyable and beautifully plotted manga, the anime for which is now on Netflix.
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Kel McDonald's Murky Water is about a paranormal investigation police unit looking into the death of a man from drowning - in his very dry living room. (Currently being Kickstarted!) Tim and Adam critique.
Then, Jason joins Tim to review Lucy Sullivan's Barking, about dealing with depression in an inadequate mental health care system. The art is beautiful, but how does this style work in a 130-page book?
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Jack Kirby’s 1976 adaptation of 2001: A Space Odyssey is an odd combination of the Stanley Kubrick movie, the Arthur C. Clarke novel, and Kirby’s own research and dramatic inclinations, which sometimes were pretty out-of-step with the tone of the film! This week, Tim and Emmet discuss this out-of-print treasury edition comic, where it borrows from one or both of the other versions, and where Kirby goes off on his own tangents!
"The Crazy Legacy of Jack Kirby’s Forgotten 2001: A Space Odyssey" (Wired.com)
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If you read New York's Village Voice newspaper between 1974 and 1995, you are probably familiar with Stan Mack's Real Life Funnies. If not, hold on to your hat! A forthcoming book from Fantagraphics collects many of the strips, all ripped from real life, and taking full advantage of the Voice's lack of content guardrails. In this episode, Tim gets the scoop from Mack about what went into making the strip, and into choosing the strips for the book. But first, friend of the show and New Yorker cartoonist Joe Dator, a native New Yorker who read the strip in the Voice, and experienced first-hand some of the events it covers, sets the context for understanding what the strip is and how it encapsulates a time in the city's history that's gone forever.
See the book on Fantagraphics' site
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FLASHBACK! There’s no doubt that Superman is one of the most significant characters in the history of American comics. He ended up setting the template for what would be the dominant genre in American comics after the Comics Code came into effect. Of course, the types of stories told in those comics, and their tone, has varied wildly over the years, which makes it difficult to try to determine which stories are the best of the lot, but naturally people make the attempt, including DC Comics itself.
This week Kumar and Tim look at the 1980s collection “The Greatest Superman Stories Ever Told”, as well as Alan Moore’s “Whatever Happened To the Man of Tomorrow”, which is currently being published in a collection with two other Moore Superman stories. Are these actually the greatest Superman stories?
Featuring Batman’s superior party prep skills, swimming the interplanetary water spout, and the symbolism of the ads in the original printing of “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow”! Choke (Originally published December 28, 2015.)
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FLASHBACK! Reviews of Asterios Polyp blanket the Internet; why need we pile on? Well, for starters, to counteract all the reviewers who think that giving a story synoposis = explaining what the book’s about. That approach falls far short with Polyp, so Tim and Kumar are here to explain what they feel David Mazzucchelli’s masterwork graphic novel is really about! (Originally published February 15, 2010)
Stumptown annotations of Polyp
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Cap and the Falcon have found the underground bunker of the aristocratic forces hoping to take over America on the Bicentennial, but the location of their secret weapon, the Mad Bomb, is still a mystery. What next? How about a love story? But wait a minute - this love story between Cap and a sick young woman seems to be here for symbolism. Tim and Emmet follow our heroes to the explosive conclusion of the Mad Bomb storyline in Captain America and the Falcon 198-200!
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To mark the recent passing of artist Ian Gibson, Kumar and Dana dive into a long-overdue discussion of his masterpiece with writer Alan Moore, The Ballad of Halo Jones. Halo Jones is an early work by Moore that was never completed, but it is rich, immersive, and fully developed at every turn, from the characters to the world-building, largely due to the influence of Gibson himself on the creative process. But is there something familiar about it all...?
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While Kentaro Miura’s Berserk is meant to feature the swordsman character Guts, in volumes 7 and 8 the focus is on Griffith and the progress made - at ANY cost - toward his dream of having his own kingdom, a machine in which Guts is just a major cog. Casca is the other major figure, as Tim and Kumar wonder just what her real feelings for Griffith - and for Guts - might be; why this lengthy flashback has so much less magic in it than the pre-flashback story did; and how Griffith gets from this point into the Godhand.
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Tim continues to catch up with the MCU! This film is awkward to review nearly two years after it came out, with Tim going through the speculation about how this story will play out in Avengers: End Game that those who are already caught up, including Mulele, already know the answers to. Listen to relive your reaction to the first time you watched it! (Originally published on Patreon January 18, 2020)
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Cap and Falcon are trapped in an underground bunker where elites plot to destroy the Bicentennial celebrations and take away Americans' freedoms. In Captain America and the Falcon 195-197, they participate in the "Kill-Derby" to retrieve Cap's stolen shield break up the bad guys' underground civilization. Tim and Emmet continue their look at Jack Kirby's 1970s work at Marvel!
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Monica is Dan Clowes's richest and most rewarding book in years, combining the surrealism of early works like Like a Velvet Glove Cast in Iron with the multi-genre anthology approach of his more recent books. What does it all mean though? Kumar and Dana try to come to an understanding of it, spoiling almost every page in the process, and, yet, even after several readings they're still not quite sure. But does that actually matter? Brought to you by:
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Chantal Montellier's Social Fiction, published by New York Review Comics with a translation by Geoffrey Brock, is a collection of comics fueled by political anger, hauntingly farsighted satire and attacks on consumer culture. Emmet and Kumar review the collection, which still feels vibrant and at the same time prophetic, given the original publications dates of the stories from the 1970s and 1980s. Montellier's work collected here uses science fiction to discuss white supremacist movements, body autonomy - oh, and talking cats.
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When Jack Kirby returned to Marvel in 1975, the first series he worked on starred the character that was one of Kirby's earliest claims to fame: Captain America, created in 1940 by Kirby and writer Joe Simon. Before Kirby returned, Cap's book became Captain America and the Falcon. As Kirby begins his run, he deftly uses the African-American Falcon to show that Cap's optimistic view of America ("This country's grown up!") isn't always accurate ("Jive! It's still trying, friend!"). This time, Tim and Emmet discuss Captain America and the Falcon #193-194.
Waxing and Waning: Essays on Moon Knight, containing an essay by Emmet
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FLASHBACK! Planning a murder that you think will prevent future murders? That’s the premise — or, at least, one of the premises — of Monster, Naoki Urasawa’s 18-volume series. Set in Germany, the series focuses on the unintended consequences of Dr. Kenzo Tenma’s good deed; he saved the life of a boy who turned out to be a remorseless killer. Tim and guest reviewer Natalie Nourigat discuss. (This episode was originally published August 22, 2011.)
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FLASHBACK! We begin a two-review series on comics that ask hard questions about whether murder can ever be justified. This week, Mike Baron and Steve Rude’s Nexus. Beginning in the early ’80s, Baron’s philosophical writing and Rude’s increasingly polished art presented the story of a far future in which a man kills mass-murderers -- not out of revenge, but because he feels forced to “in self-defense.” Tim and Paul review. (This episode was originally published August 15, 2011.)
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In 1993, the Image revolution was underway, itself a result of the 1986 earthquake brought about by Alan Moore's Watchmen and Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns. Moore was on a mission to counteract the wave of "grim and gritty" comics he had inadvertently helped to start. This led to Moore's 1963 series, a combination parody of and homage to the Marvel comics of the Silver Age, with art by the likes of Stephen Bissette, Rick Vietch, Dave Gibbons, Don Simpson, and Jim Valentino. Tim and Kumar review the series, discussing why it was never completed and why it's not currently in print.
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FLASHBACK! Originating out of the same ’80s black-and-white/anthropomorphic boom that brought us the Ninja Turtles, Usagi Yojimbo is one of the few comics of that batch that are still going today. Stan Sakai’s work combines historical drama, understated violence, light comedy, and even some explanations of 17th century Japanese culture — and he can pack a surprising amount of story into a few pages. Tom Spurgeon joins Tim and Kumar to talk about the long-eared samurai. (This episode was originally published August 24, 2015.)
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The run of Jack Kirby's OMAC: One Man Army Corps was bright but short, lasting only through eight bi-monthly issues. This time Tim and Emmet discuss issues 5 through eight, covering a shocking, brilliant two-parter, another two-parter that brings the series to a crashing halt, and more evidence that Kirby was great at wild ideas, but naming the characters might have been better left to someone else!
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One of Kirby's late efforts at DC was OMAC: One-Man Army Corps, which focuses on "the world that's coming": what miracles, and horrors, technology would bring. Of course, some of it seems ridiculous, but other parts seem prescient. Tim and Emmet discuss the book's crazy Kirby concepts -- or are they crazy? Brought to you by:
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Paul of "To the Batpoles" joins Tim and Mulele to discuss 2018's "Black Panther" film, trying to separate political filmmaking from good filmmaking, and having different experiences based on whether they went in knowing the comics, the comics AND the film's marketing, or neither.
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After covering the first four volumes of Kentaro Miura's Berserk a few months back, Tim and Kumar decided to keep going. In volumes 5 and 6, the lengthy (volumes 3 to 14!) flashback to Guts's origin story continues, but why does the flashback seem to exist in a magic-free world? In the early volumes, in the "present", Guts was shadowed by an elf, frequently encountered ghosts and demons, and pulled off comically over-the-top feats with his huge sword. But the world of the flashback seems to be, with a few exceptions, a fairly realistic medieval Europe. The guys examine the difference and pick up hints of what comes next.
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There's a new sheriff in town in post-Great Disaster Earth: Gerry Conway took over as writer in Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth issue 38. Jack Kirby stayed on as artist for issues 38-40 before leaving D.C. So while the interior art looks the same as always (aside from covers by Joe Kubert), everything feels a little "off". It doesn't help that Kirby left Kamandi in a rather uncomfortable plotline (although Tim and Emmet disagree as to what level of "ick" is implied). Our look at Kirby's Kamandi ends as Kamandi motorboats off to disappointing horizons.
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R.I.P. Joe Matt (September 3, 1963 – September 18, 2023)
FLASHBACK! Joe Matt was one of ‘The Toronto Three’ in the 90’s; he was a no-holds barred autobiographical cartoonist who, with his friends Chester Brown and Seth, ushered in the first wave of Drawn and Quarterly work. Matt drew attention for his sense of humor as well as exposing the depraved corners of his life, including porn addiction, excessive cheapness, and an increasingly destructive relationship with his girlfriend Trish. Kumar and Koom discuss The Poor Bastard and reflect about encountering Matt’s work, the interaction between real life and representation, and the connection between humor and depravity.
Originally published May 25, 2015
Jack Kirby reaches the end of his writing run on Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth. After top-shelf stories about a Soviet spacecraft and an "eviction battle" in a resort hotel with crocs in the pool, Kirby's swan song leaves something to be desired, with an ... uncomfortable plot point, and myriad threads dangling. Tim and Emmet discuss the good, the bad, and the downright ugly.
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Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles first appeared in 1984 as a violent, gory homage to/parody of Frank Miller's Daredevil, among other popular mainstream titles of the time (X-men, Teen Titans). The comic hit at the right time for Kumar, but for the younger Emmet, the 1987 TV cartoon was the business. Now, nearly 40 years later, both have attended the latest Turtles movie, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. This week, they review the movie and compare it with earlier Turtles iterations.
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This time we look once again at new books coming from British publisher Avery Hill Press. Owen D. Pomery’s The Hard Switch is a nice slice of indy sci-fi; Tim and Kumar review. Then, Emmet joins Tim to discuss Nicole Goux’s Pet Peeves: Emmet loves it, but Tim needs some convincing.
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FLASHBACK! Love and Rockets continues to impress, and in this episode Koom asks creator Jaime Hernandez some burning questions. Hernandez talks about writing Maggie and Hopey, the dynamics of working on something with your brother, why he gravitates toward female characters, his influences and art style, and more. Also, Tim and Mulele discuss the current … Continue reading #548 Jaime Hernandez interview
Jim Shooter was Marvel Editor-in-Chief from 1978 to 1987, the era of Frank Miller’s Daredevil, Chris Claremont’s X-men, Secret Wars (written by Shooter himself), the West Coast Avengers and more. This week he talks with Koom about his take on modern-day Marvel, the early days of Frank Miller and Ann Nocenti’s careers, why “Little Miss … Continue reading #780 Jim Shooter interview
FLASHBACK! Did you think Love & Rockets was over?! Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez continue to release new work about once a year, and in this episode Kumar and Matt sit down and discuss some of it, with particular attention paid to Jaime’s The Love Bunglers. (Spoiler warning!) Also: the tension between indy creators who want … Continue reading #440 “The Love Bunglers”
FLASHBACK! In episode #300, we took a look at the sometimes wacky and cartoony Love & Rockets work of Jaime Hernandez. This week, Tim and Kumar are again joined by Tom Spurgeon to look at the somewhat darker, more violent and yet rather hard-to-pin-down work of Gilbert Hernandez in his stories of (or, sometimes merely … Continue reading #305 “Love & Rockets”: Gilbert Hernandez
FLASHBACK! The series Love & Rockets, featuring individual works by the Hernandez brothers, started in 1981 as a self-published magazine, but was quickly picked up by Fantagraphics. Over the last 30 years, the brothers’ work has continued to develop & astound. This week Tim and Kumar take a look at the Love & Rockets work … Continue reading #300 “Love & Rockets”: Jaime Hernandez
In this edition, we rejoin The World of Tomorrow, a comic we discussed the first issue of five years ago! This is the one about an actor in, roughly, the 1950s, who stars in a space ranger TV show that’s on the verge of cancellation. Now writer Giles Clarke has sent us the second and … Continue reading Critiquing Comics #233: “The World of Tomorrow” and “Prism Stalker”
No longer just a look at Earth AD, Kamandi issues 32 through 34 introduce us to an alien who’s literally a ball of energy! Dr. Canus finds a way to give the alien a human body – but just what form will the alien end up taking? And just how much can Jack Kirby overhype … Continue reading #779 Jack Kirby’s “Kamandi” #32-34: Big Action Issue(s)!
Flush with dark and mysterious symbolism, K. Briggs‘ adaptation of Macbeth from Avery Hill publishing is a challenging and visually exciting piece of work. Kumar and Emmet discuss the comic’s approach to the classic Shakespearean play and how it compares to other adaptations, as well as its unique juxtaposition of the unexpurgated text of the … Continue reading #778 K. Briggs’ “Macbeth”
“Tim Catches Up with the MCU” continues to roll as Tim and Mulele reach Thor: Ragnarok. It has perhaps the most humor of any MCU movie up to this point; is that a good thing? Also, Tim experiences the benefits of never paying attention to the marketing. (Originally published on Patreon November 23, 2019.) Brought … Continue reading “Thor: Ragnarok” (2017)
As we continue through Jack Kirby‘s 1970s issues of Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth, Tim and Emmet keep slowing down! In this episode, nearly 30 minutes go into discussing Kamandi’s encounter with Superman’s (inexplicably undamaged) costume, and so only three issues, 29 through 31, are examined, but what issues they are! Kirby also references … Continue reading #777 Jack Kirby’s “Kamandi” #29-31: “Up, up, and away!”
Openly discussing being sexually abused, particularly if it was during childhood, is not easy. Emily Carrington has stepped forward with her memoir of being abused as a teenager, Our Little Secret, in the hope that others in her position will be moved to get help. The book recently won the Lynd Ward Graphic Novel Prize. This week, she talks with Koom about her struggle, making the book and getting it published, and what's next. (This episode does contain references to childhood trauma and childhood sexual abuse, and may be triggering for some people.)
Emily on TikTok
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Rina Ayuyang has called on her Filipino heritage in her graphic novels Blame This On the Boogie and, just out, The Man in the McIntosh Suit. This time, Adam talks with her about using historical photo reference, doing comics digitally vs paper, Lynda Barry’s influence on her work, and more. Brought to you by: Checkered … Continue reading #775 Rina Ayuyang draws (on) her Filipino heritage
Critiquing Comics is back, with discussions of two interesting comics from listeners. Stephen Grow sent us Sons of Thunder, a one-panel cartoon aimed at Christians and reflecting life in a small-town church, but likely with wider appeal. Then, Kristin Tipping (now going by “Tin Tipping) returns with a creepy barnyard tale, The Lamb. Brought to … Continue reading Critiquing Comics #232: “Sons of Thunder” and “The Lamb”
While Kamandi‘s exorcism story in issue 24 leaves something to be desired, never mind that: the subsequent four issues, as discussed in this episode, deliver the kinds of interesting concepts we’ve come to expect, as Kamandi and Ben visit the Dominion of Devils, fight Sacker’s Co. and their environment-destroying activities, and find out what the intelligent animals of Europe have been up to. Oh, and there are flying sharks!
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In this segment of Jack Kirby's Kamandi series, we visit a version of 1920s Chicago that seems to be drawing on, or prefiguring, various other pop culture stories, and then move on to Monster Lake, home of intelligent, talking -- and sometimes romantically inclined! -- dolphins and killer whales. Kirby's war experience again figures in a story, perhaps a fantasy about what he'd have liked to say to a warmongering general. Tim and Emmet try to get their sea legs for some very wet stories.
Jack Kirby, from Kamandi issue 1
Don Ahe
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Translation is a topic seldom covered on this show (Kumar has talked about it several times, most notably here). This time Emmet talks with French-to-English comics translator Evan McGorray about translating Catherine Castro and Quentin Zuttion's Call Me Nathan, about a trans teen. Brought to you by:
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Spider-man is a longtime favorite of Tim's, in terms of comics reading, but how does he feel about Spider-Man: Homecoming? Particularly in light of the fact that it's the first live-action Spider-Man he's watched since 1979... Mulele joins Tim to review the 2017 film. (Originally published on Patreon November 4, 2019.) Brought to you by: * + The Batgirl to Oracle podcast + Our supporters on Patreon
Colorist Jose Villarrubia had trouble getting work from Marvel because his style was "too artistic" --- but then other creators started asking for him, and he's colored many Marvel titles since then. He's also colored Alan Moore's Voice of the Fire and The Mirror of Love. This August, his recoloring of Richard Corben's Den will be released by Dark Horse. What can Corben fans look forward to in this new edition? And, why do recolored comics sometimes look Gaudy? Villarrubia covers all this in a talk with Kumar.
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This week we continue our look at Jack Kirby's run on Kamandi, another of the DC properties he created. Tim and Emmet find that issues 11 through 18 include a giant insect, a violent horse race, another standout issue in the mode of issue 7's King Kong story, a clue as to how the animals became intelligent, and more.
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Back in 2009, Tim talked with web cartoonist Tracy Butler about her beautiful, sepia-toned 1920s-with-cats strip Lackadaisy, and whether she'd ever quit her day job to focus on the strip. Since then, she has gone full-time on the comic, and recently embraced her first love, animation! The Lackadaisy 27-minute animated "pilot" has attracted a lot of attention the past few weeks, and the quality of the production had Tim thinking, "How was this even possible??" So this week, Tracy returns to the podcast to talk about the pilot, the now-full-color strip, and what the future of the title might be.
Watch a video clip from this interview
Watch the Lackadaisy animated pilot
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Berserk abruptly ended when creator Kentaro Miura died two years ago, later resurrected by Miura's assistants and his friend Kouji Mori. Neither Tim nor Kumar had read this violent, complex manga, but it lingered on our to-do list the past two years until a gag news story about who was going to wrap up Berserk (which Tim didn't immediately recognize as a gag!) inspired us to take the plunge. What we found is an addictive manga that answers the question "What if Fist of the North Star were a fantasy "graphic medicine" comic about trauma? Yup, Al Plastino did some "in case of emergency" Peanuts strips
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If you can't get the rights to Planet of the Apes, do the next best thing: get Jack Kirby to come up with a concept that's Apes-adjacent! That was DC Comics' strategy in the early '70s. What resulted was Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth, a series with multiple intelligent animals lording over caveman-level humans, and plenty of sci-fi elements and references to the Apollo program and other features of real life in that era. Join Tim and Emmet exploring the significance of the multiple intelligent mammals, the Kamandi drinking game, and more.
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In most time travel stories, there's an imperative to fix any paradoxes created by the time travel. But in Rachel Pollack and Chris Weston’s Time Breakers, paradoxes are embraced rather than explained away or repaired. This week, Kumar and Emmet discuss this five-issue 1997 miniseries, the most popular series of DC’s canceled imprint Helix.
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When it comes to truth in advertising, the title of this comic is an award winner: Ghezal Omar‘s Pimp* Killer (with art by *Ayhan Hayrula and lettering by Phillip Ginn) is about a woman named L.A. Jones who… kills pimps. Or at least tries to. She also does nasty things to guys who abuse their girlfriends, and, in general, lives large, and the comic doesn’t hold back on any of it. Jason joins Tim to talk about the latest from Ghezal (whose work we looked at once before).
When it comes to truth in advertising, the title of this comic is an award winner: Ghezal Omar's Pimp Killer (with art by Ayhan Hayrula and lettering by Phillip Ginn) is about a woman named L.A. Jones who... kills pimps. Or at least tries to. She also does nasty things to guys who abuse their girlfriends, and, in general, lives large, and the comic doesn't hold back on any of it. Jason joins Tim to talk about the latest from Ghezal (whose work we looked at once before).
This podcast continues to be a booster of Chad Bilyeu (“Chad in Amsterdam“), and he’s been busy lately! In addition to releasing the second issue of The Re-Up, his recollection of that time when he was a pot dealer, he’s also curated an anthology, called Megillah Sunday Funnies, that is also a museum show (through May 26, 2023) and auction of the original work in the publication, by 35 different indy creators. This time, Tim and Kumar dig into both.
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This podcast continues to be a booster of Chad Bilyeu ("Chad in Amsterdam"), and he's been busy lately! In addition to releasing the second issue of The Re-Up, his recollection of that time when he was a pot dealer, he's also curated an anthology, called Megillah Sunday Funnies, that is also a museum show (through May 26, 2023) and auction of the original work in the publication, by 35 different indy creators. This time, Tim and Kumar dig into both.
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Sometimes the topics of Critiquing Comics episodes come back for seconds - or thirds! We look at a couple of these repeat submitters this week:
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- Thready #2, "Tuesday," by Brandon Hayes with art by James the Stanton, highlights the problem many bipolar people have with hypersexuality. Tim and Jason discuss
- Tales from the Interface, Emmanuel Filteau's look at a future world dominated by a computer system, is back with its 4th issue, discussed by Tim and Adam.
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In the year 2038, invisible drones are sent to the past to pick up any event you want to see, if you have the money to pay for it. One woman using the service discovers a secret that puts her in danger in the present. Our friend Jason McNamara, author of such graphic novels as The Rattler and The Martian Confederacy, is back with the forthcoming Past Tense, his first work from Dark Horse, with art by Alberto Massaggia. Jason joins Tim to talk about the book, and then Kumar and Tim review it.
Kumar also fills us in on how his resignation as translator of Cipher Academy, a nearly untranslatable manga, went viral.
Also, Alex Squiers tells Tim about his audio drama The StarWell Foundation, in which a company which recruits superheroes and other celebrities to meet sick kids and the like, deals with one kid's unusual request: they want to meet a villain.
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This time Tim finds some intersections of comics and the world of graffiti.
First, Argentine graffiti artist and animator Cof talks about his cartoonish art style, the difference between a graffiti artist and a muralist, graffiti scenes around the world, which country has the best spray paint cans, and more.
2012 interview with Cof (buenosairesstreetart.com)
Cof on Makersplace.com
Cof on Instagram
Cof on Flickr
Graffiti Artists Collaborate (buenosairesstreetart.com)
Then, Thomas John Behe on his series of graphic novels under the title Contraband, exploring one possible future for social media. Behe talks about the upcoming Bad Benny, a work that began as a series of graffiti art panels in different cities, and Christiania, written by his daughter Abi, a book recently discussed on Critiquing Comics!
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Marvel's "Phase Four" block of movies and TV shows has wrapped up, and it's occasioned a lot of annoyance online for all sorts of reasons. Are the complaints legitimate? Is it ginned-up anger just to get noticed? Is there anything good to say about Phase Four? Tim and Emmet examine the good and bad of the shows, and some real problems that are developing as the Universe continues to expand.
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George Wylesol's 2120 is a choose-your-own-adventure horror graphic novel that blocks your progress and punishes the reader for cheating. Kumar and Emmet found it disturbing and fascinating. This week, they present their review.
Wylesol interview from The Migratory
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What's it like to be trans AND have Dissociative Identity Disorder? What's it like to have a therapist who doesn't have enough training to really help you? Emma Grove has experienced this and has produced an engaging memoir graphic novel, The Third Person, which exhibits an amazing memory for detail and a sharp understanding of the comics medium. Tim and Kumar review.
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Christiania, a silent comic written by 13-year-old Abi Behe, is a take on the ills of social media by someone who has never lived in a world without online culture. But silent comics can be a storytelling challenge. How did artist Taka do on getting the story across? This time, Tim and Jason critique Christiania.
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Kirt Birdick is back with the second issue of his hyper-violent science fiction comic Galacto: Pit Fighter, "Requiem for a Humanzee." It’s good and bloody, but is it bloody good? Tim and Adam critique.
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After he left DC Comics, but before he returned to produce Even Gods Must Die and The Hunger Dogs, Jack Kirby produced a sort of substitute Fourth World story called Captain Victory and the Galactic Rangers, which was eventually published by Pacific Comics in 1981 and 82. Two Morrows publishing in 2003 released what it calls the Graphite Edition of Captain Victory, presenting Kirby’s photocopies of his pencils of the proposed 50-page Captain Victory graphic novel. This time, Emmet and Tim discuss the Graphite Edition and what Captain Victory tells us about Kirby and the Fourth World.
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"A biker revenge tale" isn’t a story pitch that appeals to everyone, but any kind of story can get a thumbs up if it’s well-done! This time Tim and Adam discuss the first four issues of Mayfield Eight, written and illustrated by Tim Larsen.
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A few weeks back, Tim and Jason discussed Sean Lewis' Immortalis-- issue 3. This time, we're reading the first two issues, and grasping, in some ways, why he made issue 3 first. But if you need to start with issue 3 to hook readers, isn't that indicative of a problem with the first two issues?
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What happens when a group of people must work in the middle of nowhere, with virtually no supervision or accountability? Generally it’s not a good situation, as Kate Beaton, now well-known as the creator of the web comic Hark! A Vagrant, found in her younger years when she got a job on Alberta’s oil sands. This week, Kumar and Dana discuss her memoir of the experience, entitled Ducks: Two Years on the Oil Sands.
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A supernatural western, Holy West, captivates Tim and Adam in this episode. The comic features smart writing by Seth Jacob and beautiful art by Daniel Irizarri. Now that we've given away whether we liked it, listen to the show and check out the comic!
Lettering tips from Nate Piekos
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"TIM CATCHES UP WITH THE MCU" continues: Peter Quill (whose name we both blanked on while recording the show!) and the gang are back (yeah, BACK in 2017) and Tim (feeling encouraged by being a mere 2.5 years behind on MCU movies) and Mulele discuss the film. And Star Wars. Brought to you by:
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Kumar and Matt E celebrate the life and work of Kevin O'Neill with a look back at his breakout work on Nemesis The Warlock in 2000 A.D. with writer Pat Mills. O'Neill's art very style in itself is shocking and intense, and the storytelling seems to approach everything backwards, but somehow it all comes together to create an unnerving and riveting sci-fi experience.
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Immortalis is the story of a 19th-century woman, transplanted to the 21st, who is expected to be the world’s savior in a war between gods. But how did she get to the 21st century? Who is this team who has revived her? And... why did the creators start with issue 3? Tim and Jason try to answer these questions and give their opinions of the book.
Immortalis Kickstarter (funded!)
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If you're at all aware of Tokyo Rose, it's most likely simply as a woman heard over a radio in a movie set in World War II. But who was she, how did she end up in that situation, and what was the result for the war effort and for her? Tokyo Rose- Zero Hour is a new graphic novel by Andre Frattino and Kate Kasenow that fills us in on Iva Toguri, a Japanese-American woman who, under very odd circumstances, found herself working at Radio Tokyo during the war. Tim and Kumar review.
Iva Toguri demonstrates a sample broadcast
Toguri shooting some kind of a scripted scene
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Here 2 Cypher is an anthology of stories written by Brandon Hayes, whose story Thready Tim and Jason enjoyed back in January. Does this set of stories stack up against that book? The guys evaluate the collection in this episode.
Here 2 Cypher's Kickstarter
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"Tim Catches Up with the MCU" discusses Doctor Strange -- an enjoyable yet problematic movie, based on a 1963 origin story (in Strange Tales #110) whose ideas about race and gender roles are, at best, dated. Tim and Mulele review. (Originally published on Patreon October 12, 2019.) Brought to you by: * + Superman Fan Podcast + Our supporters on Patreon
FLASHBACK! While this podcast has covered the odd League of Extraordinary Gentlemen book here and there, no one has dared think of trying to discuss all of Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill's series in one episode... until now! Kumar and Dana take on the task, with special attention paid to Black Dossier (and the record that was recorded for it), the Century trilogy, and the injustice that Kumar feels was done to Volume 2 way back in 2006, episode 21!
(Originally published June 24, 2013. Re-presented in observance of the passing of League artist Kevin O'Neill.)
EC Comics, a name that brings to mind Fredric Wertham and the coming of the Comics Code, also brings to mind some very well-done comics by the likes of Wally Wood, Harvey Kurtzman, Al Williamson, and more. IDW has just released an Artist’s Edition of original EC art by Wood, Kurtzman, Williamson, Jack Davis, and … Continue reading #755 “Best of EC Stories, Artisan Edition”
Tim Catches Up with the MCU continues as Tim and Mulele discuss Avengers 2.5, er, Captain America: Civil War! (Originally published on Patreon September 28, 2019.)
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Charles Schulz’s Peanuts is a master class in how to do a comic strip. This week Kumar and Tim are focusing on a five-year period of Schulz’s career, 1957 to 1961, and 25 Sunday strips that demonstrate Schulz’s skill at dialog-free comics. You might want to read the strips before listening; see below!
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Snoopy and Linus 2/10/57 Snoopy waiting for Linus to share a candy bar with him
6/30/57 blowing on each other
9/15/57 Snoopy grabs the blanket while Linus is holding it and swings him around by it
11/24/57 Snoopy again grabs the blanket and heads into his doghouse
7/13/58 Linus, chased by Snoopy, throws his blanket into an open window
8/24/58 another blanket battle
12/14/58 Snoopy drags Linus - and debris
7/26/59 Snoopy, Linus, and blanket go crashing into the doghouse, which rolls down a hill and crashes into a tree
6/12/60 Charlie Brown sees something spinning around right next to him that turns out to be Linus and Snoopy fighting over the blanket
11/27/60 Linus uses the blanket to spin Snoopy like a top
Characters facing adversity 2/9/58 Linus takes his sled up a hill, then realizes there’s a tree in his way
6/22/58 Snoopy blocks both CB’s TV viewing and his radio listening
6/29/58 Linus wipes out on the rocking horse
8/31/58 Lucy and musical teddy bear
1/4/59 Snoopy slides around on ice until he’s run over by a bunch of hockey players — very Minnesota!
1/18/59 Lucy fails at throwing a snowball at Charlie Brown, so she kicks him
4/16/61 Lucy’s Rival
11/26/61 Snoopy in the rain
Cute vignettes 2/3/57 Charlie Brown sliding on ice
5/12/57 Linus hangs his blanket on a nail temporarily so he can catch a baseball — barehanded??
8/11/57 Charlie Brown takes his sleeping bag outside
12/1/57 Snoopy on top of the TV
4/26/59 Lucy catapults a rock into Linus’ sand castle — Lucy in a nutshell
10/18/59 Sally’s bottle on Schroeder's piano
6/18/61 Snoopy gets all the glory
John Morrow is co-founder of Two Morrows Publishing, a company that owes its start to John's interest in Jack Kirby. His Kirby fan newsletter grew into the company that's now publishing his history of Kirby's Fourth World, much of it told in Jack's own words: Old Gods and New. This time, Emmet talks with John about Marvel's fear that DC would end them after Kirby switched sides, how distribution quirks may have led to the premature end of the Fourth World books, how myth runs through all of Kirby's work dating back to the '30s, and more.
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Berserker Monk is a violent, but slightly humorous, comic that’s been pitched as “Tarantino meets The Last Airbender.” The creators — Josh Thompson, Gabriel Roldan, Leland Bjerg — are currently kickstarting it. How are Tim and Jason feeling about this comic? Listen and find out.
What are the people like on the other side of the mountain? Are there any there? Where does the stuff, the objects, the food we enjoy in our daily lives come from? These questions are central to Shanti Rai‘s first graphic novel, Sennen. In this episode, Tim and Jason review the book, and then Tim … Continue reading #752 Shanti Rai’s “Sennen”
In the mid-’90s, Grant Morrison’s innovative run on Doom Patrol was followed by that of Rachel Pollack, who took advantage of Morrison’s legacy, the greatest variety of sexual minority characters of any mainstream comic at the time, to express her feelings about being trans and a lesbian herself. Her run also examines a number of … Continue reading #751 Rachel Pollack’s “Doom Patrol”
After leaving DC’s Jimmy Olsen book, Jack Kirby needed something else to keep his monthly page count up to the level he had contracted for. One of the books he came up with was The Demon, the result of his being asked to do a “monsters and mystery” book. But Kirby didn’t have a lot … Continue reading #750 Jack Kirby’s “The Demon”
Alexandra (her friends call her “Ax”) is trying to get in touch with hero team Steamgear Defenders; she wants to become a member. But will they turn out to be all they’re cracked up to be? Will she even get there, with so many people getting in her way? The comic is Steamgear Inc. by … Continue reading Critiquing Comics #221: “Steamgear Inc.”
Marta Chudolinska (who-doh-lean-ska), the child of Polish immigrants to Canada, makes comics and other art in Toronto. Koom talks with her about her ongoing project Babcia, about her grandmother and her family’s history in Poland. Brought to you by: Wayne Manor Memoirs podcast Our supporters on Patreon
This time, we critique the fifth installment in David Dye‘s “Amazing Tales” anthology series. In the main story, we again join the troops of Dropship Fifteen, in a story that gets a bit harrowing… but not without some humor. Adam joins Tim to talk through the issue. Brought to you by: The Quarter-Bin podcast Our … Continue reading Critiquing Comics #220: “Amazing Tales” #5
While Netflix’s Sandman series has gone over well with many fans, not everyone is pleased. This week Emmet talks with comics commentator Elizabeth Sandifer, who has found the series to be vastly inferior to the original comics, and gives us her reasons in a very entertaining and informative way. Brought to you by: To the … Continue reading #748 Elizabeth Sandifer on Netflix’s “Sandman”
Suzanne Lenglen was a trendsetting tennis star in the 1920s, among the first to challenge the notion that tennis players had to be amateurs, running themselves into debt to keep competing, in order to participate in tournaments. Tom Humberstone‘s first full-length graphic novel Suzanne: The Jazz Age Goddess of Tennis, soon to be released, is … Continue reading #747 “Suzanne: The Jazz Age Goddess of Tennis”
Patrick Ijima-Washburn (a.k.a. “Patrick W.”) has been doing some deep research on certain themes used in manga. Last year, he told us about scary cats in manga; this time it’s (mostly scary) mermaids — or, to be gender neutral, “merfolk.” Thinking it would be a topic easily covered, he was soon caught in a tsunami … Continue reading #746 Manga Mermaid Madness!
Joseph Smith and the Mormons is an objective look at the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Author and artist Noah Van Sciver took a bit of heat from the church for not portraying things in line with church teaching. Adam interviews Noah in this episode, as they compare notes … Continue reading #745 Noah Van Sciver and “Joseph Smith and the Mormons”
If you’re looking for over-the-top — way, way over — action and violence, then Fist of the North Star, by Buronson and Tetsuo Hara, is the comic for you! Kumar and Jordan breathlessly recount their experience reading the comic, which — despite the ridiculousness of the story — is done sincerely, not cynically. Brought to … Continue reading #744 “Fist of the North Star”
This week, a Critiquing Comics double feature: During the U.S. Civil War, a confederate soldier is changed into a dangerous creature by a mysterious woman. His comrade, now a marshal, tracks him after the war as he takes more innocent victims. But is everything as it appears? Tim and Jason enjoy the twist in Rougarou, … Continue reading Critiquing Comics #219: “Rougarou” and “The Poet and the Flea”
David Lapham’s Stray Bullets “humanist crime” series began in 1995 and shows a number of characters interacting between the 1970s and 1990s, with the stories told nonsequentially. Kumar and Matt dodge the bullets to turn in this review. Brought to you by: The Law of Equivalent Exchange: A Fullmetal Alchemist manga podcast Our supporters on … Continue reading #743 “Stray Bullets”
Crisis on Infinite Earths was an attempt by Marv Wolfman and George Perez to clean up DC Comics continuity and make the publisher’s line more reader-friendly. The story showed the Anti-Monitor trying to eliminate all of the many versions of Earth that had appeared in DC stories, and the few surviving Earths ended up merged … Continue reading #742 “Crisis on Infinite Earths”
It’s another episode of TIM CATCHES UP WITH THE MCU, in which we wrap up Phase Two with Ant-Man. When this movie was released in 2015, some thought this might be where Marvel Studios would finally stumble. Did they? Tim and Mulele discuss. (Originally published September 14, 2019.) Brought to you by: Dear Reader: A … Continue reading “Ant-Man” (2015)
This time, Jason introduces us to his former student Dan Tappan‘s first Kickstarter project, a nautical horror anthology with the appropriately horrifying title A Lungful of Brine. Tim joins him for a review.
Anneli Furmark is a Swedish illustrator and comics creator whose latest book is Walk Me to the Corner, in which two married middle-aged women become attracted to each other. Anneli talks with Koom (at the Toronto Comic Arts Festival) about why this book isn’t an LGBT book, about her painting technique and layout choices, and … Continue reading #741 Anneli Furmark
Strangehaven is a series started by Gary Spencer Millidge in 1995. As he does everything himself (including publishing, for the first 18 issues), it has come out on an irregular schedule, but the content has been compelling. Kumar talks with him about how far he might be from completing the series, his process, his life-Strangehaven … Continue reading #740 Gary Spencer Millidge (“Strangehaven”) interview
A man in Portland, Oregon, finds himself turning into some kind of neck-biting monster (a blue vampire who doesn’t mind sunlight?), but he can’t remember anything about who he is. What’s causing this? Past drug use? Psychiatric issues? Tim and Jason discuss Tatu Heikkinen‘s Scion of Night #1: “The City of Roses.”
Jack Kirby’s final Fourth World story is the 1984 graphic novel The Hunger Dogs, which continues some of the themes we saw in Even Gods Must Die, such as the encroachment of technology. Tim and Emmet complete their reading of the Fourth World and ponder how aware George Lucas may have been of the New … Continue reading #739 Kirby’s Fourth World: “The Hunger Dogs”
One of our favorite indie creators has long been Amsterdam-based Chad Bilyeu, who's back with the start of a new series, The Re-Up. Chad tends to deal in nonfiction and memoir, and this time is no different: he reminisces here about the time he took over a marijuana retail business in Washington, DC. Of course, a new book from Chad brings Mulele temporarily out of podcast retirement, and he joins Tim this time to discuss Chad's new offering.
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Longtime web cartoonist Don Ahé has asked us to look at his new story Bran Bionic: The Sable Peril, about a boy with some bionic body parts who's stranded on an island. Tim and Adam looked around on the rest of his site and found both gag-a-day and serialized work in his Road Apples Almanac strip, and some nice art and good comic timing.
In 1984, ten years after the last of Jack Kirby‘s Fourth World books was canceled, Kirby was brought back to do a brand new New Gods story in the final issue of a series that had been reprinting the original series. The story, Even Gods Must Die, is typical Kirby Fourth World: alternately horrifying and … Continue reading #737 Kirby’s Fourth World: “Even Gods Must Die”
Blood Moon Comics has sent us another of their titles: Usher of the Dead #1 by Keith Rommel and Samir Simao. Will Tim and Jason find as many problems with it as they did with Blood Moon’s previous entry? Or will they be pleasantly surprised? Listen and find out!
One of DC’s most fondly remembered ’80s series is Mike W. Barr and Jim Aparo‘s Batman and the Outsiders. Tim, always a Marvel true believer, is just now reading it for the first time, but he’s recruited a lifelong fan of the Distinguished Competition, writer and podcaster John Trumbull, to join him in a look … Continue reading #736 “Batman and the Outsiders” vol. 1
Jack Kirby‘s Mister Miracle continued on for a year or so after his other Fourth World books had been canceled. This may be why much of issues 13-18 seem disconnected from the typical Fourth World narrative of Apokolips, New Genesis, and the like, and arguably Kirby doesn’t have as strong a message in these issues, … Continue reading #735 Kirby’s Fourth World: “Mister Miracle” #13-18
What's creator Ron Randall been up to since we talked with him last? He's continuing his comic Trekker, now 35 years since its inception, and is up to his seventh Kickstarter for the series. He's back to talk about that, plus he and Tim talk about the rise of decompressed storytelling in American comics over the past few decades, what caused its rise, and its pluses and minuses.
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Tim and Emmet continue their read through Jack Kirby's Fourth World comics with Mister Miracle issues 7 through 12. Is there as much meaning in these books as there was in the first six, or is it becoming a formula? What is it about Kirby’s work here that’s reminding Tim of R. Crumb? What’s a Mystivac? What does the character of The Lump represent? And more.
Kickstarter for The BeBop #2: Bao
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A drifter in the Old West gives confession to an alcoholic priest. Demons attack and the drifter, who has special powers, dispels them. That's the opening to The 9 Circles: Marshal Law Issue One from Jaimie Engle, Kool as Heck, and Kristal Sayers. But is this really the best opening for the story? Tim and Jason find that the second part of this issue has somewhat more going for it. Here's their critique.
The Immortal Hulk won a fair amount of praise, including for Al Ewing's writing (although also censure for the hate speech hidden in Joe Bennett's art). Is the praise earned? Or is the book interesting exactly because of the things that don't work in it? Our own Emmet, and guest Dr. Matt Finch, are leaning a bit in the latter direction. Join them this time for a wide-ranging discussion, including how Ewing's coming out as bisexual affected the direction of the story, how the zeitgeist of the 2010s is apparent in the comic, how this version of the Hulk compares to Greg Pak's, the humor in Ewing's run, and more.
Kickstarter for The BeBop #2: Bao
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Judge Dredd, created by writer John Wagner and artist Carlos Ezquerra, first appeared in 1977 and is as mainstream in the UK as Marvel and DC are considered to be in the US. Until recently, Kumar had read very little of it, but after reading a sizable chunk of the series, including such classic storylines as The Day the Law Died and Apocalypse War, he talks in this episode with longtime Dredd reader Matt E (who last appeared on this podcast way back in 2015!) and compares notes on the comic’s astronomical body count, whether Dredd is a hero or a villain, and more.
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Jack Kirby's big plans for his four Fourth World books were cut short when DC abruptly cancelled all but one of them. The Forever People and New Gods both ended with their 11th issues, dated April 1972. Along the way, the Forever People had an unplanned meetup with Deadman, and the New Gods got all their fighting in while they could, and still left us hanging at the end. Tim and Emmet discuss The Forever People 9-11 and New Gods 7-11.
Kirby’s Jewishness on display in “Fourth World” (Forward.com)
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While Kumar read Swamp Thing by Alan Moore and other '70s and '80s versions of the character well after they were published, his first "real time" reading of swampy was the early '90s run written by novelist Nancy Collins. With Scot Eaton, Tom Mandrake, Kim DeMulder, and Tatjana Wood on art, Collins took the plant-man in some interesting directions. This time Kumar shares his thoughts on re-reading the run, and Emmet chimes in on his impressions after reading it for the first time.
Looking Back on Nancy Collins' Swamp Thing (syfy.com)
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Our journey through Jack Kirby's "Fourth World" books now takes us to the first six issues of Mister Miracle, a change of pace from the other three books, giving us a more straightforward narrative. How will Tim and Emmet react to it? Kirby's Jewishness on display in "Fourth World" (Forward.com)
Jack & Roz Kirby
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While the Forever People are (mistakenly, in our view) seen by many as "cheesy," Jack Kirby's New Gods has been a relatively well-regarded member of the Fourth World stable -- if only for its focus on Darkseid and similarities to Star Wars. This time, Tim and Emmet dig into the first six issues, laden with more symbolism (or attempts at it) than you can shake a ski pole at, great art, interesting ideas, and really clunky dialogue.
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After reading Jack Kirby's wacky Jimmy Olsen run, Tim and Emmet weren't sure what to expect from the first six issues of his Forever People series. What we found was, yes, ideas and concepts by the bushel, but also some insightful social commentary that has us wondering: Why isn't this book more highly regarded? We consider why it isn't and explain why it should be.
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Jim Rugg is known for his indy hit Street Angel, for being half of the duo hosting the super-prolific Cartoonist Kayfabe videos series, and for illustrating other works such as Cecil Castellucci's The Plain Janes. Now he's about to be known for the Hulk retrospective Hulk: Grand Design. This time, Kumar talks with him about how the Hulk work came about, the development of Street Angel, his ever-changing artistic process, the making of Cartoonist Kayfabe, and more! Brought to you by:
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Superheroes are the stuff of kids' fantasies. Who among us hasn't fantasized about having powers, putting on a costume and fighting crime? Ben Sears' graphic novel Young Shadow is a presentation of this fantasy: a costumed kid with no superpowers but excellent fighting skills and a neighborhood network that helps him patrol the streets - because the cops can't be trusted to do so. Tim is joined by Ryan Cecil Smith to review this fun but potentially controversial all-ages book.
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EC Comics are most commonly associated with the horror stories that shocked parents and U.S. Senators in 1954. But EC Comics also had something to say about prejudice against racial or ethnic groups. How do these stories read today? How well did EC creators like Al Feldstein and Harvey Kurtzman get across their anti-racist message?
That's a focus of EC Comics: Race, Shock, and Social Protest, a book by Qiana Whitted, a professor of English and African American studies at the University of South Carolina. The book won the 2020 Eisner Award for Best Academic/Scholarly Work. Kumar and Emmet discuss the book in this episode.
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The second half of Jack Kirby's run on Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen continues to throw out idea after mind-blowing idea. These comics are crazy, and somewhat exhausting. But how do they stand up as stories? Tim and Emmet continue their walk through the Fourth World with visits to Transylvane, Scotland, and a volcano! Brought to you by:
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This time, a Christmas-themed comic. Isn't it a little late for that? A seasonal comic may be a rather odd choice, especially one that has more military maneuvers in it than good cheer. But it's appropriate for kids, and looks great! It also raises the question "What makes a good cliffhanger?" Tim and Adam take off in a one-horse open sleigh to critique "Bric-A-Brac" by Ryan Haack, Rafael Sam, Toben Racicot, and Milton Aguiar. Brought to you by:
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By the end of the 1960s, Jack Kirby had had enough of Marvel. He felt that the company had not treated him well enough for him to justify introducing the new characters and concepts he'd been toying with. When he got the chance to try out the concepts at DC Comics instead, he jumped at the chance.
Thus, we have the Fourth World saga. After reviewing the Tom Scioli bio of Kirby, Tim and Emmet decided to read the Fourth World for the first time. So this episode, we begin with the early issues of Kirby's run on Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen: issues 133-139 and 141. The issues show us how Kirby was digesting what was going on around him in the late "hippie" era. But wait a minute -- what's Don Rickles doing here???
Mark Evanier on the Rickles appearance
Vulture.com article on Fourth World, by Abraham Riesman
The reading order we're following
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Weight training is very big in space. At least, on the planet Cankee, where Earth-style weightlifting has caught on like wildfire. That's the setup for Second Place, by Ben Goldsmith, Ed Smith, and Jay P. Fosgitt. Ryan Cecil Smith joins Tim to discuss in which categories it gets the trophy, and in which ones it doesn't even place.
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Thready is a comic about a week in the life of a character who is bipolar. That's him in the picture, although we suspect that appearance is symbolic of how he feels. This time, Tim and Jason discuss the first issue of a promising comic.
There were several landmark comics titles in the 1980s (do we really need to name them?), but unfortunately they tend to overshadow much of the other interesting work of the decade. Brannon Costello and Brian Cremins have edited a collection of essays on some of these overlooked works, called The Other 1980s. This time, Kumar and Emmet discuss some of the book's essays, including chapters on Neil the Horse, Doug Moench, Trina Robbins, Elfquest, and more.
“R.U. a Cyberpunk?” ‘Mondo 2000’ magazine, no. 10, 1993
What is "dead naming"?
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The latest manga sensation is Koyoharu Gotouge's Demon Slayer. Both the manga and the anime have broken records (including in theaters in Japan, during a pandemic) around the world, including in the U.S., where the film set all-time opening weekend record for a foreign language film. But Kumar's son Ashwin, who reads manga like crazy, was slow to warm up to it. How does he feel about it now? Kumar and Emmet are joined by Ashwin to discuss the series.
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"Tim Catches Up with the MCU" moves on to the second Avengers movie, Age of Ultron, and Tim reveals something that's been bothering him all along about one of the actors in these movies...
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After years of putting her life on hold to care for her father, her father passes on. How does she react? What about her son, who feels his grandpa's death may be his fault? R. Kikuo Johnson's No One Else is a subtly told story of grief with beautiful art and some humor as well. Tim is joined by graphic medicine expert Alice Jaggers to discuss the book and try to unlock some of the deep symbolism in its seemingly simple art.
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Chad Bilyeu, an American living in Amsterdam, has been a favorite of ours over on Critiquing Comics for the past several years. With the sixth issue of his Chad in Amsterdam series, we've promoted talk of his comics to the flagship, Deconstructing Comics. You've arrived, Chad! Seriously, this issue gives us more interesting storytelling that serves as food for thought. Mulele is even back to discuss the book with Tim! Brought to you by:
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Epic Tavern's Tales from the Fantastical Crimes Unit gives us a noir-type detective on the case of a kidnapped centaur woman. What's that? You've never heard of Epic Tavern? You didn't know it's a video game? Then this comic may leave you scratching your head. And that's just one of a number of reasons that this comic prompts Tim and Ryan Cecil Smith to urge these admittedly talented creators (writer Shawn French, artist Steve Mardo, colorist Steve Lavigne, and letterer Rob Jones) to up their game. Listen for our (hopefully) constructive criticism!
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If you're not into the drama of the past few decades of DC Comics, come with us back to the 1950s, when the exploits of Batman and Superman in World's Finest Comics made the '60s Batman TV show look like The Dark Knight Returns! Superman and the Dynamic Duo's lives in those days were a constant stream of identity switching, time travel, alien visitors, tricking Lois Lane, and even goofier shenanigans. Tim and Kumar discuss (while frequently bursting into laughter). Brought to you by:
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Sometimes comics adaptations of movies can have as much, or more, significance than the films themselves. Marvel's 1984 adaptation of David Lynch's Dune film, for example, marked Bill Sienkiewicz's upgrade from the realistic art he did on Moon Knight, to the mind-blowing, weird work he became known for on New Mutants. It's also arguable that Ralph Macchio's script is better than that of the film.
Likewise, Topps' 1992 adaptation of the Francis Ford Coppola film Bram Stoker's Dracula, written by Roy Thomas, marks a turn for artist Mike Mignola from Batman to more supernatural work, leading straight into his magnum opus, Hellboy.
Kumar and Jordan, patiently awaiting the delayed Australian release of the new Dune film, decided to indulge their obsession by doing this week's episode, discussing both films. Brought to you by:
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Ghosting is about a bus driver in a budding relationship with a woman who suddenly disappears from his life. Has he simply been ghosted? Or is there more to it? Emmet was captivated by the book (winner of the 2020 Best Irish Comic award), and this time he chats with its author (and fellow Ireland native), Debbie Jacobson about this book and her forthcoming followup, the Dublin comics scene, how being an outsider affects the art one produces, and more.
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Anthologies have traditionally been something of a bear to critique, especially if they're not very good. Producing the End of the World has solved that problem -- both by sending us a media preview with only four of the collection's stories in it, and by, well, being very good. Tim and Adam discuss a book containing some of the more fun stories about the end times that we've seen. Producing the End of the World on Kickstarter
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Mark Russell & Richard Pace's Second Coming stirred up controversy before it even came out, because it was a comic book pairing Jesus Christ with a superhero. But once it did hit the stands, the reviews were mainly positive, including on this podcast. Now the second six-issue "season" of the comic has wrapped up, and Will Weaver again joins Tim to consider how Second Coming: Only Begotten Son stacks up against the original.
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David Dye has been one of our favorites here on Critiquing Comics; Tim and Mulele even interviewed him once. He's back now with Amazing Tales #4, in which he takes a turn toward horror. Jason joins Tim to brave the creepy goings-on. Brought to you by:
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San Diego Comicon has always been about more than comics! That’s the contention of producer and journalist Mathew Klickstein, who joins Tim this week to tell us all about his audio documentary podcast “Comic-Con Begins!” Mathew talked with dozens of people who were there at the birth of the con and celebrities who have appeared there over the years, and reaches back decades before SDCC's birth in 1970, to the earliest rumblings of geekdom. He’ll also give us some idea of what’s in the future for this history project.
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"Tim Catches Up with the MCU" continues with our look at "Guardians of the Galaxy." How does it rank in Tim and Mulele's MCU viewing so far? Also, are we each using different criteria to evaluate these films? And, oh yeah, these films have music - how do we feel about it?
(Originally published on Patreon August 17, 2019)
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FLASHBACK! Saga, by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples, has been a bestselling book for Image Comics for years, and fawned over by critics and readers alike. While Emmet finds a fair number of things to like about it, hardly anything about it is to Kumar's taste. For this episode, both of them have read all the issues published to date -- 54 of them!-- and present this somewhat out-of-the-mainstream review. (Originally published October 1, 2018) Brought to you by:
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Tom Scioli’s Jack Kirby: The Epic Life of the King of Comics is a bio in comics form and written in the first person, from Kirby’s perspective. Why did Scioli handle it that way, and does it work? Why does Kirby look like a Tezuka character surrounded by normal humans? Was the tension between Lee and Kirby a case of Stan messing up Jack’s story, or modifying it to better connect with the reader? Tim and Emmet discuss those questions, some of the many revelations this book brought us, and more. Brought to you by:
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Texas Tracts, by Rachelle Meyer, is a series of three short comics, modeled in format after the Christian evangelical "Chick Tracts" by Jack Chick. Rachelle's well-drawn comics, in contrast, reflect doubts about things she was taught in Catholic school as a kid in Texas. Tim and Mulele discussed part one, Holy Diver, back in January; this time, Tim is joined by Ryan Cecil Smith in discussing the series overall, including the latter two volumes Joy Ride and Rainbow Collie.
Rachelle's Kickstarter
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In this episode of "Tim Catches Up with the MCU", Tim and Mulele discuss the political thriller "The Winter Soldier". Brought to you by:
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You're probably aware of the Osamu Tezuka character Astro Boy (called Tetsuwon Atom in Japan). Starting in 2003, Naoki Urasawa (the creator of Monster) began his own take on a particular Astro Boy story in his series Pluto, as a murder mystery of sorts. The story includes plenty of robots, but is more concerned with portraying emotion and making a statement about war than any Asimovian rules about robot behavior. Does that approach doom the project? Kumar and Jordan review. Brought to you by:
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Root and Branch is a comic that flirts with the fantasy genre, but is more concerned about a clash of cultures: a traveling elf meeting humans for the first time. This is a web comic, created by Pink Pitcher, that's still going strong in its seventh year, and currently has a Kickstarter going. Tim and Adam critique.
Shonen manga are known for putting their protagonists in systems that they must work their way up through in a series of competitions. In Air Gear, by Ito Ougure under the name Oh! Great, the competitions are races on gravity-defying inline skates. While this manga also includes some aspects that could be judged age-inappropriate, there is fun to be had here, too. DCP Patreon supporter Coleton joins Tim to discuss this manga, focusing on the first three volumes.
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Is Matt Canning's Honeymoon in the Afterlife about dying? Is it about life? Unlike some inscrutable comics we've discussed recently, this one isn't frustrating; it's intriguing, layered, and nuanced, and stands up to -- no, demands -- repeat readings. Tim and Ryan C. (who wrote a review of the book last fall) discuss.
The In Common review of Honeymoon
Order from Birdcage Bottom Books
Cathy Guisewite's longrunning comic strip Cathy is still a topic of discussion, 11 years after it ended. While it may sometimes seem as if topics like sexual harassment and body image are new fields discovered in the last five or ten years, Cathy was bringing them up in the '80s and '90s.
Comedian Jamie Loftus wanted to dig in and have a discussion about this classic strip, so she started a podcast miniseries, Aack Cast, in which she talks with Cathy readers, other cartoonists, and even Guisewite herself about many of the issues raised in the strip. Emmet talks with Jamie in this episode.
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Purgatory, by Don Juan Mancha III, anubisazp, and nikokosi, is an unusual comic in that most of the character in it claim to be dead. But in most cases, it's unclear if they really are. Or is it a way of talking about schizophrenia? Unclear. What's the plot of this comic? Also unclear. At least, to Tim and Graeme it is. In this episode, they try to put the pieces together.
After fifteen years of cartooning for The New Yorker, Joe Dator has a deep catalog of published work - and a pretty deep catalog of UNpublished work as well (it's a competitive business!). So in his new book Inked: Cartoons, Confessions, Rejected Ideas and Secret Sketches from the New Yorker's Joe Dator, Joe includes not only some of his best New Yorker work, and why he seems to get stuck on certain topics (birds, anteaters, arguably nightmarish faces made of bacon and fruit on top of a pancake) but his favorites of the work that hasn't seen print before. Joe returns to the podcast this week to chat with Tim about the book.
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Prolific manga creator Taiyo Matsumoto's Ping Pong is, nominally, a sports manga, but it doesn't stick to the tropes. It presents table tennis matches that take place in a small town, not at a major tournament in Tokyo; often it doesn't even show the end of a match! In some ways it functions as a parody of the genre. Kumar and Dana discuss this fun and unpredictable manga.
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Midnight Highway is a horror comic on which all the creators are firing on all cylinders. Well, most of them. Tim and Jason discuss the first issue of this comic by Mike Tener, Alex Maday, Dave Lentz, Alexander Malyshev, Hedwin Zaldivar, and Alex Monik!
This week, from our archive of Patreon podcasts, Tim and Mulele discuss the movie Thor: The Dark World in another edition of “Tim Catches Up with the MCU”! It's one of the lowest-rated MCU movies on Rotten Tomatoes. How do our opinions track with the RT users?
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Neil Gibson is back! Tim and Mulele have discussed his Twisted Dark anthology series more than once, and Koom once interviewed him for DCP at a London con. His new two-part graphic novel Theatrics, with art by Leonardo Gonzalez, is the best work we've seen from him to date. Tim and Adam critique. Buy Theatrics from Amazon
You may be puzzled by a book titled Lights, Planets, People; we certainly were. But when we read it, we found that Molly Naylor and Lizzy Stewart's graphic novel is a story with multiple levels, communicated in multiple ways, including through the shifting art style and color palette. It's a book about an astronomer who is dealing with several issues, including bipolar disorder. Tim and Emmet recount the experience.
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Although it's currently only available digitally, Adora and the Distance, by Marc Bernardin, Ariela Kistantina, Bryan Valenza, and Bernardo Brice, has garnered a fair amount of mainstream attention (Vanity Fair, Syfy) -- reportage that doesn't even seem aware of the fact that it's spoiling the book's twist ending. Of course, we'll have to spoil it in this episode as well (though we'll warn you first!). But, might it have been better to reveal that information at the start of the book, anyway? Tim and newcomer Rachelle Meyer (whose book was previously discussed on this show) critique.
Continuing with "How Much Stan Can You Stand?", this time Tim and Emmet take on Stan Lee's 2002 memoir (with George Mair), Excelsior! The Amazing Life of Stan Lee. How does it differ from his later memoir Amazing Fantastic Incredible?
Have you had all the Stan you can stand? Or should we review more books on The Man? Let us know in the comments!
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NK Jemisin and Jamal Campbell's Far Sector takes the Green Lantern concept (it's published by DC) to comment on race relations and the police. Emmet and Kumar discuss the book's storytelling strategy; whether main character Jo has made a believable choice in becoming a (space) cop; compare novelist Jemisin to other prose writers who have taken on writing comics; and more.
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Two bounty hunters are recruited for another job. A woman is seen topless, numerous people get their brains blown out, men and women get amorous on a hair-trigger, and quips and oddball observations are the order of the day. A '90s Tarentino-esque film? No, it's graphic novel .357 Magnum Opus, by Ghezal Omar with art by MingChen Shen. Tim and Jason come in with guns blazing.
It's been a long time since Tim "caught up with the MCU" in our Patreon podcast series with Mulele; certainly longer without an MCU film than anyone intended it to be! But at last, Black Widow is out. How does it stack up against the movies that have gone before? Tim and Mulele are back to sift through the Red Room wreckage.
Amazing Grace is a Webtoon comic by Shane Berryhill and Mike Salter, featuring sword fights with Dracula, women with plunging necklines, and, sometimes, chapter endings that lack punch. Tim and Adam try to diagnose, and give prescriptions for, what ails this comic, while recognizing that it's not too far from being well-done. Brought to you by:
- The Superman Fan podcast
- Our supporters on Patreon
A story originally conceived as an Incredible Hulk tale in -- really -- the 1980s, Barry Windsor-Smith's Monsters has finally seen the light of day. How is it? Kumar and Dana find it a joy to look at, and containing a number of astonishing scenes and mind-blowing plot points, but also to have some serious drawbacks. Does the good outweigh the bad? Here's their review. Brought to you by:
- Wayne Manor Memoirs podcast
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"How much Stan can you stand?" Tim and Emmet's look at books on Stan Lee continues with The Man's graphic novel-memoir Amazing Fantastic Incredible, by Stan Lee, Peter David, and Colleen Doran. Can we recommend it?
Listen to the MMMS record
1:18:40 Also, Tim looks back at a few of the many high points in the history of Deconstructing Comics, complete with old show clips!
#224 Our Notes on “Death Note”
#165 Mo Willems’ Dirty Little Secret
#173 Diamond and the U.S. Comics Market
#595 Mulele and other DCP connections at TCAF
#564 T-Rex and CXC
#299 Detroit Metal City vs. Metalocalypse Dethklok
Brought to you by:
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Winston Gambro's Rex Radley: Boy Adventurer is an all-ages comedy adventure series. Tim and Adam discuss.
In this episode Kumar Sivasubramanian (psst our Eisner nominated member of the Deconstructing Comics team) and Emmet O'Cuana discuss Eleanor Davis's comics. Focusing mainly on her collection How To Be Happy and one-shot Libby's Dad, the comic creator's use of subtle sadness and surreal humor inspires a wide- ranging conversation (including how to be happy during a plague!). Brought to you by:
- To the Batpoles! podcast
- Our supporters on Patreon
In the 21st century, Tony Stark (alter ego of Iron Man) has been evolving into an Elon Musk-type "futurist." What are the reasons for this change? Has it done anything to expand the kinds of stories that can be told with the character? Has Stark ever even really worked as a sympathetic character? Emmet calls up self-described "strategy & foresight practitioner" (and comics geek) Matt Finch to discuss these points and more.
Comics can surely be violent, but can the sheer audacity of the violence make it, intentionally or not, funny? Tim and Adam discuss one of the most over-the-top comics ever critiqued on our show, Kirt Burdick's Galacto Pit-Fighter!
Most people have some dreams of fame and fortune. A certain portion of those people make their way to Hollywood in hopes of getting that big break. But how much are you willing to give up to achieve that goal? And what if the fame isn't as great as you expected? These are the questions arising from the forthcoming graphic novel Everyone is Tulip, by Dave Baker and Nicole Goux. This time, Dave and Nicole tell Tim about their collaboration style, how comics writers are (often unfairly) seen as more important than artists, why rejection doesn't really exist in the publishing field, and more.
Then, Tim and Jason review Everyone is Tulip! Brought to you by:
- The Batgirl to Oracle podcast
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Comics, of course, are not just for entertainment. They're a great medium for educating. This week we feature two examples:
Sequential Potential is a company which helps academics get their points across in comics form. Co-founders Darick and Emily Ritter walk us through the process of conversion from dry, boring text to eye-catching comics.
The town of Minamata is one of several well-known examples of industrial waste leading to a massive tragedy visited on a community in mid-20th century Japan. That is, well-known in Japan. Sean Michael Wilson and Akiko Shimojima have set out to draw more attention from English speakers to the human cost of the Minamata mass mercury poisoning, with their new book The Minamata Story: An Eco Tragedy. Tim and Adam review.
Three years ago, Tim & Mulele discussed the first issue of Tales from the Interface by Emmanuel Filteau. We thought it was well done, even though we didn't quite understand what was happening! Emmanuel recently sent us the third issue, by which the situation has become clearer - it's your basic dystopian future - and it has a somewhat darker tone. How will Tim & Adam feel about this issue? Listen and find out!
A comics series that's sadly hard to find these days is Smax by Alan Moore, Zander Cannon, and Andrew Currie. Emmet has been waxing nostalgic for this spinoff of Moore, Cannon, and Gene Ha's Top Ten, so this week he calls up Cannon to chat about it - the meaning of the handprint on Smax's chest, how the collaboration on this book (and Top Ten) worked, controversies in the fantasy genre, and more.
How much Stan can you stand? That's the question Emmet and Tim are asking as we review an undetermined number of Stan Lee biographies! In episode 692, we covered Spurgeon and Raphael's 2004 entry; this time, it's the most recent tome, True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee by Abraham Riesman. While some in the mainstream press may be stunned by this book's revelations about Stan's status as "creator" of the Marvel Comics pantheon, this is not news in comics circles. But why is a self-professed fan of Stan delivering so much negativity? Or, is Riesman being, rather than too harsh, not harsh enough?
Our critique candidate this time is an unusual one: an artist who asks us to critique a comic he drew 26 years ago! The book is Circle 7 issue 1 (story by Joshua Lauber, pencils and inks by Daniel M. Rodriguez), about a superhero team in a world gone rotten - notably, an all-Black team. Tim and Adam dig the art and the concept, but find other aspects of the book that could have been better.
There's a history of horror manga featuring cats, especially humans with cat features. What are some of the prominent titles in this genre? Where does this come from? Patrick has been studying this association and is here to tell us about some of the prominent titles, including Shigeru Mizuki's Mysterious Neko Musume (featuring a character later modified for Mizuki's Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro) and Kazuo Umezu's Cat Face, The Girl with Cat Eyes, and Cat-Eyed Boy. Brought to you by:
- The Batgirl to Oracle podcast
- Our supporters on Patreon
Part comic, part children's storybook, Realm of Owls is heavy on world building and a bit light on characters, at least in the early going. How does it stand up as a reading experience? Tim is joined by Adam Pasion to discuss this web comic by Gheralf and Vayandil.
Tim and Emmet begin a series on Stan Lee biographies with the 2003 book Stan Lee and the Rise and Fall of the American Comic Book by Jordan Raphael and the late, great Tom Spurgeon. What's the tone of this book, and how does it portray Stan? How much of the Marvel Universe is he actually responsible for, and what were his motivations for taking more credit than he deserved? We discuss, and then Tim gets some background on the making of the book from co-author Jordan Raphael!
At what was ostensibly a rave, some kids are turned into zombies. How do the remaining kids deal with it? And-- why didn't THEY get turned into zombies? That's the scenario of The Zombie Game, by Dan Bridges, Gary Ambrosia, Pablo Ayala, Lucase Gattoni, and Emily McGuiness (currently on Kickstarter). Tim and Jason try to make their way out of the house.
It's debatable whether Garth Ennis' series Crossed, about a disease that causes people to act in the most reprehensible ways possible, had any redeeming qualities, but when Alan Moore steps in to write the next chapter, you know it's going to be worth discussing. And so we have Crossed +100 by Moore and Gabriel Andrade. In Moore's hands, what is it, exactly, that the disease does? Is his attempt at writing future dialects of English annoying or fascinating? Kumar and Jordan settle in for a fascinating, but depressing, sequel.
Pier Dola has sent us another of his comics. Another of his very, very long comics, filled with very well-drawn grotesque images. This one is called The Corona Bible, and it's about COVID and ... other stuff. Tim and Emmet try to figure it out.
Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir, following up on their appearance in episode 653, are back on the show to discuss their upcoming miniseries Dragon Age: Dark Fortress. How does the Dragon Age fan base compare with other ardent fan bases? How is Christina and Nunzio's relationship with Dragon Age artist Fernando Heinz Furukawa? They discuss this and more with Emmet. Then, Emmet and Tim discuss another miniseries, Haha, by W. Maxwell Prince with a variety of artists. The first two issues feature Vanessa DelRey and, a favorite of ours from episode 674, Zoe Thorogood!
A German doctor treats amputee Confederate soldiers in 1864 Virginia. But then his secret is found out by a desperate Southern army that will go to any lengths to get the doctor to do what they want. In this episode, Tim and Patrick discuss Dave Swartz's Confederate Monster.
In 1998, under the "Marvel Knights" banner, Christopher Priest began the first ongoing Black Panther title in nearly two decades. Panther was a relatively unknown character to many Marvel readers at the time. With the aid of "Emperor of Useless White Boys" Everett K. Ross, and artists like Mark Texeira and Joe Jusko, Priest (a.k.a. Jim Owsley) made Panther a must-read and brought the nature of his character into sharper focus. Kumar and Tim discuss the first 17 issues (the ones included in Black Panther by Christopher Priest: The Complete Collection Volume 1) and see if it still stands up 23 years later.
Michael Hoskin's 4-part article
This week, from our archive of Patreon podcasts, Tim and Mulele discuss the movie Iron Man 3 in another edition of "Tim Catches Up with the MCU"!
In a world where a pandemic is causing people's organs to fail, the company that makes synthetic organs wields a lot of power - especially if the patient doesn't have the funds to pay for the surgery. In this episode, writer Jason McNamara joins Tim to talk about Duplicant, from Karla Nappi, Marianna Strychowska, Carlos M. Mangual, Josh Reed, Leila Del Duca, and Owen Gieni.
Duplicant #4 Kickstarter
Candian Jed MacKay is rising through the ranks at Marvel with some stellar books starring secondary characters -- the Black Cat, Taskmaster -- and now the Avengers in mech suits (Avengers Mech Strike). In this episode he talks with Tim about why Taskmaster portrayals have become goofier, how he treats Black Cat as sexy but not cheesecake, how he manages his writing time and more.
Is it annoying or brilliant? A smart commentary on internet culture? Too trendy for the oldsters who make this podcast? Is it plausible enough to stand alongside the best in science fiction? Emmet and Kumar ask these questions and more in their review of Crowded by Christopher Sebela, Ro Stein, Ted Brandt, Triona Farrell, and Cardinal Rae.
A story about a pot-smoking superhero taking on a villain whose henchmen wear KKK robes. Is this OK?! Tim is joined by Ryan C. to discuss Ben Perone and Jer Gordon's FingerBang #4.
Con Chrisoulis has been on the comics scene since 1996, releasing comics in his native Australia, in Greece, and in the UK, as well as comics on the web. He's best known for Tales of the Smiths, Rebel Rebel: The Graphic Biography of David Bowie, and King: The Graphic Biography of Jack Kirby. In this episode, he talks with Emmet about all these works, and the pushback on political commentary in some of his work.
Hilary Barta has been drawing (and sometimes writing) comics for decades, for nearly any publisher you can name. He even worked with the great Alan Moore on "Splash Branigan." In this week's show he talks to Koom about working with Moore, his Plastic Man stint, and his new humor story with Doug Rice "When Monsters Smell" in Marvel #4. And, the utility of drugs to the creative process is debated.
HilaryBarta.com
Hilary Barta on Patreon
We've discussed Joseph Hewitt's work on the show before, and even met him at a comics festival. Now he's back with a collection of well-chosen gems from his back catalog. DCP co-founder Brandon makes his first Critiquing Comics appearance as he and Tim try spreading some of these Jellied Feels.
Comics journalist Joe Sacco is back, with an up-close look at the Dene people, of the western part of Canada's Northwest Territories. Like many native peoples, their way of life was shattered by contact with colonial Europeans, who made traumatizing efforts to assimilate them into Western culture. What happened in western Canada, and what is the way forward for the Dene? Tim and Kumar discuss Paying the Land.
There have been plenty of comics made about the current COVID-19 pandemic, both instructional and autobiographical ones. In this episode Tim talks about about some of these with graphic medicine expert Alice Jaggers, a contributor to graphicmedicine.org, as well as other comics on health issues... one of which is none other than Fullmetal Alchemist!
The Graphic Medicine Database
The Lancet on COVID-19 and comics
COVID comics by NPR staff
Then, a talk with comics journalist Josh Neufeld, who recently did a piece called A Tale of Two Pandemics, exploring the myth that black people are immune to many illnesses. This idea popped up during both the 1918 flu pandemic and the current pandemic. Josh also talks about his comics journalism career and the experience of working with Harvey Pekar!
Josh's story Supply Chain Superhero
We first met Josh at MOCCA 2016!
Help Tim move away from the apartment he’s allergic to
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A retro-style daily strip about a talking bear! This time Tim is joined by comics colorist Jeremy Kahn to discuss Bob Scott's strip Bear With Me.
The pandemic has caused a variety of entertainment content to go unreleased or even unmade. Unfortunately, that extends to the recent series John Constantine: Hellblazer by Simon Spurrier and Aaron Campbell, canceled after issue 12 when Spurrier had expected to get six more issues. Kumar and Jordan are big fans of the series, and this week they walk through the hilarious and frightening series we got.
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The Law of Equivalent Exchange: We've arrived at the chapter that knocks us from our seats and tells us "This ain't no ordinary manga!" It's the shocking Chapter 5: The Alchemist's Suffering!
Mangaverse newsletter: Patrick will become editor
Don't Assume podcast: Tim appears in episode 10
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If you're an American who grew up in a certain era, you may have a story about that time you ended up at a presentation about how "backmasking" was being used in your favorite music to subliminally deliver satanic messages. Artist Rachelle Meyer, whose work we've encountered once before in Chad in Amsterdam #4, presents her own story about such an incident in her short comic Holy Diver , a story which you might expect to be eye-rolly and cynical, but it's not. Mulele pops in to join Tim to discuss this cool comic.
The time for "setup" is over! At last, Thor, Iron Man, the Hulk, and Captain America meet! Tim and Mulele discuss 2012's "Marvel's The Avengers."
Film buff Mulele prods Tim to get caught up on alllll the Marvel movies he's missed. This time, they watch and discuss the first MCU appearance of Captain America. What changed from the comics, and why? What worked, and what's hokey?
Liz Wynter isn't special. She's exactly like thousands of other people who have lived, with the same DNA, and she thinks in the same ways that they did, so the government can predict her every move. The same is true of everyone else in her world.
Wynter #1, by Guy Hasson and Aron Elkes, isn't quite as predictable, but is it trying to be more special than it is? Tim and Patrick surveil this comic.
What do you do when you want to talk about the MCU movies, but no one around you has watched them? Bug your friends to watch them! That's how Mulele finally got Tim to find time to "Catch Up with the MCU"! Having discussed the first two Iron Man films on Deconstructing Comics a decade ago, and lacking much interest in the Hulk, we began our Patreon-exclusive show with Thor in May 2019. Here, Tim gives his first impressions, while Mulele takes the chance to go back and see what led up to Avengers: Endgame.
The Law of Equivalent Exchange: Tim and Patrick discuss Fullmetal Alchemist chapter 4, which features both scary violence and violence for laughs. Why is Ed sleeping at his desk on the splash page? Plus, volume 1 back matter explained!
Way back in 2014, Tim and Mulele discussed the first volume of R.u.N. (Remember Ur Nature), a comic in shonen manga style about the sport of parkour. Now, at last, volume two is available, and Tim is joined by a new voice, Ryan Carey of SOLRAD, to discuss the book (by Kariofillis Chris Hatzopoulos, Rafail Voutsidis, Luis Figueiredo, Roberto Fernandes De Oliveira, and Vasilis Fotsinos). The comic is a spot-on imitation of shonen manga made in Japan -- but is it good?
Isekai is a genre, named in Japan, in which a character from our earth is suddenly transported to "another world." This concept goes back at least to Alice in Wonderland, but these days the "other world" is often the inside of a computer game. Although it's not explicitly stated (so far), that seems to be the case in The Last Tide, a book from new publisher Cloudscape and created by Pirateaba, Shane Sandulak, and Matias Zanetti. Our patron Gabe joins Tim to review.
Avery Hill, publisher of Zoe Thorogood's The Impending Blindness of Billie Scott, has really gotten on our radar lately. This time, Tim and Emmet discuss a graphic novel called Breakwater by Katriona Chapman. The story takes place among employees of a movie theater, but it could (and does) happen in any situation.
Is it comedy or violent action? Delivering fan service or gross-out scenes? Who are the good guys and who are the bad guys? Perceptions and expectations are constantly flipping in Q Hayashida's Dorohedoro. Kumar and Emmet review.
Chad Bilyue is on a roll! No sooner had he released issue 4 of Chad in Amsterdam than he was releasing issue 5 on its coattails. CIA 5 turns out to be a theme issue, on a bizarre and rather offensive aspect of Dutch culture. It's about what happens when an entire country convinces itself that one of its customs isn't racist, while it looks that way to nearly everyone else.
Also in this episode, big programming announcements from both Mulele and Tim!
Mark Russell has been one of the standout comics writers of the past five years, in part because he's possibly the only mainstream comics writer doing satire (or, he would argue, fables). Since he burst on the scene with Prez and The Flintstones, he's written a number of comics for several publishers that aren't just comedy or action, they express his views and have deeper meanings.
This time, Tim's interview with Mark. How did he get into comics, and start out in a Big Two book? Why did he use '60s Hanna-Barbera character Snagglepuss to tell a story of gays in the 1950s? How do you "punch someone in the beef"? What inspired his latest, Billionaire Island? And how does he feel about being the only writer of his kind in mainstream comics?
Tim and Patrick discuss the third chapter of Fullmetal Alchemist, "The Mining Town." Why are alchemists hated as "the dogs of the military"?
Telling a story without dialogue can be difficult. Telling your story entirely with pictures takes excellent storytelling skills. What are the stakes? What are the characters' motivations? What, exactly, is going on here?! Tim and Mulele discuss two submitted comics which partially or entirely rely on wordless sequences: After the Fall, by Jacqueline Goldfinger, Keni Thomas, and Taylor Esposito; and Organic But Not Mental, by Pier Dola.
We've talked about several of Rumiko Takahashi's manga series over the years, but this time we go back to the beginning with her first big hit, Urusei Yatsura, sometimes known in English as Lum. Tim and Kumar discuss the history of the strip, the gags you wouldn't get without knowing Japanese, and what's odd about it for being ostensibly a kids' comic.
Kazuo Umezu’s horror manga series The Drifting Classroom is a taboo-busting series: it was aimed at kids and employs kid logic and exaggeration to a story depicting outrageous violence being done to and by kids. Even if you’re into horror, that description may have you asking: “Is this for me?” In this episode, Kumar and Ryan try to answer that question.
Umezu in red and white. (Source: https://www.jprime.jp/articles/-/18187)
Over the years there have been some attempts at augmented reality comics -- where a smartphone app pointed at a comics page will reveal a bit of animation. One issue with these projects is that they're labor-intensive, and require several different skill sets to produce. Sam Noir and Andrew Dorland are Kickstarting an augmented reality comic called Ballyskillen, and Andrew has multiple necessary skill sets for the endeavor, which he'll apply to the project in proportion to the amount of money raised. In this mini-episode, Tim talks with Sam and Andrew about the project, and also about Sam's series of comics anthologies called Cauldron.
The latest installment of our beloved Chad in Amsterdam is here! As always, Chad combines some incisive but casual observational and philosophical discussion with the work of his great artist friends, but this time the focus is less on Amsterdam and more on Chad himself. Where is he from? What makes you "from" a place? Will Tim and Mulele like this issue as much as the others? (Well, what do you think!?)
This week we present the second installment in a proposed new podcast series: The Law of Equivalent Exchange, a chapter-by-chapter discussion of the manga Fullmetal Alchemist. Tim and Patrick discuss chapter two of the series; while we remembered it as not having much of an impact on the overall story, the chapters in volume 1 turn out to do a lot of orientation to help prepare us for future volumes. We point out these signposts.
Last episode, we mentioned how writing a short, tight story can be more challenging than writing a sprawling epic. Right on cue comes Spider Forest Webcomic Anthology 4, an engaging collection of short comics by 17 creators of web comics. Tim and Mulele discuss which are the best (and which are merely good!), and whether perhaps some of these stories are a little too short.
Spider Forest Kickstarter - beginning October 12, 2020
This time, two books by Neil Gaiman: Black Orchid, with art by Dave McKean, and The Books of Magic, drawn by John Bolton and other artists. The challenge of Black Orchid can be to simply figure out the backstory, and how Gaiman changed it! The Books of Magic's Tim Hunter character is Harry Potter before Harry Potter; coincidence? Kumar and Jordan look at the evidence.
In a flooded New York City of the future, a corporate whistleblower is in a hurry to skip town. Tim and Mulele wish they understood more about the plot of The Solar Grid issue 1, by Gazeer, but this issue is more concerned with the comic's world than its plot. So we critique what's there!
Zoe Thorogood is a young British woman whose first graphic novel, The Impending Blindness Of Billie Scott, will be released in October. It's the story of a young woman who's just gotten her big break, being asked to paint ten works for a gallery show, when an injury causes her to gradually lose her eyesight. Along the way, she meets a number of interesting characters.
In this episode, Tim talks to Zoe about the ins and outs of making the book, and then discusses the book itself with Emmet.
This week we present the first installment in a proposed new podcast series: The Law of Equivalent Exchange, a chapter-by-chapter discussion of the manga Fullmetal Alchemist. Tim and Patrick discuss what alchemy was in the real world, and the manga's creator Hiromu Arakawa, then walk through the first chapter of the story.
If you'd like to keep episodes of this podcast coming, in its own separate feed, support us on Patreon!
Terminal Velocity is a comic by Barry Corbett in which he reminisces about his life, centering around extreme sports and a family tragedy. While there is an overall story, the book can seem a bit disjointed. Tim and Mulele discuss the pros and cons of the book; then Mulele challenges himself and his friends: Let's actually make some paper comics again!
He first appeared in 1944, the Algerian super-hero who fought for the World War II Allies: Kismet, Man of Fate! The first known Muslim superhero, he appeared in all four issues of a series called Bomber Comics. Then the series was cancelled and Kismet was forgotten, until 2014 when the character, freshly out of copyright, was revived in stories by writer A. David Lewis and artist Noel Tuazon. In this episode, Lewis talks with Tim about the history of the character and the revival, and then Will Weaver joins Tim to review the revival book, Kismet, Man of Fate, vol 1: Boston Strong.
The words "Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips" have essentially become the name of a genre, a certain kind of noir-ish crime story. The latest entry in this "genre", an original graphic novel called Pulp, is in this vein but also features elements of the western. b joins Tim to review the latest by this renowned team.
Jason's Kickstarter for Ghost Band
Then Tim talks to attorney and writer Gamal Hennessy about his Kickstarter-funded book The Business of Independent Comic Book Publishing, avoiding the three mistakes many comics creators make when publishing their first book, and the general state of the American comic book industry.
Another interview with Gamal at Practicesource.com