Comics Alternative

This week on The Comics Alternative Andy and Derek interview Jamal Igle about his new project, Molly Danger. This is just in time for next week’s Free Comic Book Day, when Action Lab will include a preview of the first story arc in one of their FCBD issues. In their conversation, the Two Guys with PhDs talk with Jamal about the genesis of Molly Danger, the need for more all-ages hero comics, the importance of strong and positive female role models in the medium, and the runaway success of the book’s Kickstarter campaign, which helped to make Molly Danger a reality. Jamal also talks with the guys about the format he’s chosen for the title, releasing Molly Danger in a multi-volume hardbound album format in the Franco-Belgian tradition, and he speculates on his future plans for the enigmatic Molly. Be sure to listen to this fascinating conversation and get the scoop on this new comic. This is one of those FBCD releases you’ll want to grab first as you make your way to your comics shop on May 4th!

This week on the podcast, Andy and Derek review two recent projects from the archival powerhouse that is Craig Yoe, Comics about Cartoonists: Stories about the World’s Oddest Profession, and the recent comic-book series Haunted Horror (both published through IDW Publishing). The first is a collection of strips and stories from around the turn of the century until the 1950s, drawn by a who’s who in the comics pantheon, and all taking on comics creators themselves as the subject matter. It’s a great work where you get to see artists poking fun at themselves, ridiculing their publishers and editors, and generally just having a good time with the comics industry as a whole. Next, the Two Guys with PhDs turn their attention to the first three issues of Haunted Horror.  This is another archival project from Yoe Studios!, but one that takes the form of an ongoing bimonthly series.  In each issue, Yoe presents several classic horror comics from the days before the Comics Code Authority, which means there’re plenty of

This week on The Comics Alternative podcast, Andy and Derek review the first collected trade of Brian Wood, Kristian Donaldson, and Gary Brown’s The Massive (Dark Horse Comics) as well as issue #1 of Five Ghosts: The Haunting of Fabian Gray, by Frank J. Barbiere and Chris Mooneyham (Image Comics). The Two Guys with PhDs (who talk about comics) bring their critical acumen to the functions of narrative time in The Massive, the significance of its character makeup, and the book’s thematic place within Brian Wood’s oeuvre. Plus, they think The Massive is really cool! Then the two guys turn their attention to Five Ghosts: The Haunting of Fabian Gray, discussing the title’s “literary ghosts” (and curious as to how ghosts can be literary) and wondering if, in the next couple of issues of the comic, Barbiere will succumb to the traditional trappings of colonialist narrative. Stay tuned, dear listeners! Andy and Derek also talk about Kickstarter and ponder over the possibility of poor academics, needing money to do su

This week Andy and Derek flip through the April Previews catalog, highlighting the various comic books, collections, and original graphic novels solicited this month.  They point out a variety of upcoming titles such as Dark Horse’s The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys and Battlepug, DC/Vertigo’s 100 Bullets: Brother Lono and The Sandman Omnibus Volume 1,  IDW’s Edison Rex, Image Comic’s Lazarus and Infinite Vacation, Archaia’s Rubicon, Boom! Studio’s Six-Gun Gorilla, Dynamite’s Uncanny, and new collections on the works of Steve Ditko (two of them!), Jack Cole, and Al Feldstein. As what usually happens, their discussions of the comics takes them down curious and sundry avenues, some on-topic, some tangential, and some way the hell off course.  But keen insights and fun pop culture talk is guaranteed for all!

The Two Guys with PhDs Talking about Comics make another visit to Lone Star Comics in Plano, Texas. There they talk with the location’s scheduling manager, Shea Hennum, about general comics news.  The conversation is free-flowing and engaging, with topics including the recent “banning” of Persepolis for seventh graders in Chicago, Superman‘s Orson Scott Card problem, indy creators and all-age comics, mature titles on Lone Star Comics’ shelves, the impact of The Walking Dead television show and other comics-based TV series, the current impressive wave of Image Comics, and Brian K. Vaughn and Marcos Martin’s new digital experiment, The Private Eye. Shea also reveals to Andy and Derek how The Comics Alternative saved his life while riding the subways in New York. What better endorsement can a podcast get? Be sure not to miss this new “point one” show on location at Lone Star Comics, something that will now be a monthly feature. Mark your calendars!

This week the Two Guys with PhDs Talking about Comics return with another one of their regular review shows, this one focusing on the new graphic biography from SelfMadeHero, Hellraisers, written by Robert Sellers and illustrated by JAKe, and Helheim #1 from the creative team of Cullen Bunn and Joëlle Jones, and published by Oni Press. Hollywood alcoholic celebrities and supernatural vikings…two tastes that go great together! They also follow up on their recent foray into John Constantine by critiquing Jeff Lemire and Ray Fawkes’s Constantine #1, and overall, both guys are cautiously optimistic about Constantine’s new home in the DC Universe.

his week the Two Guys with PhDs return with the second of their two-episode look at recent crime, detective, and noir comics. In this installment, they begin with a discussion of more conventional detective/crime comics and then turn their gaze to noir with a psychological twist, where the protagonist's mental condition creates confusion and uncertainty. Regarding the former, Derek and Andy look specifically at From the Files of...Mike Hammer: The Complete Dailies and Sundays, Greg Rucka and Matthew Southworth’s Stumptown, Roger Gibson and Vince Danks's Harker: The Book of Solomon, Andy Diggle and Jock’s first issue of Snapshot, and Jay Faerber and Koray Kuranel's Point of Impact.  Next, they segue to several recent examples of psychological noir, including Jay Faerber and Simone Guglielmini's Near Death, Grant Morrison and Darick Robertson's mini-series Happy!, Nathan Edmondson and Tonci Zonjic's Who Is Jake Ellis? and the first two issues of Where Is Jake Ellis?, and Joshua Hale Fialkov and Noel Tuazon's gr

This week, Derek and Andy talk with Ben Katchor, an award-winning cartoonist who has also worked in musical theater and is currently an associate professor of illustration at Parsons the New School of Design.  His new book, Hand-Drying in America and Other Stories, came out last week from Pantheon Books. It's a phenomenal work collecting strips that were originally published in the architectural and design magazine, Metropolis, between 1998 to 2012. In their conversation with Ben, the Two Guys with PhDs ask the artist about the design and packaging of  Hand-Drying in America, how his new book differs from his earlier collections, what he sees as the current state of comics publishing, the difference between his work in Metropolis and his ongoing serialized strips, and how his picture stories underscore the layout and strictures of urban life.

This week the Two Guys with (easy) PhDs take their monthly stroll through the pages of the new Previews catalog.  They mention how jam-packed the March Previews is, filled with more promising comics than humans should be allowed. Among the many titles catching the guys’ (easy) PhD-trained minds are the new Mister X mini-series, Richard Corben’s adaptation of The Fall of the House of Usher, the 10th anniversary edition of Fagin the Jew, The Green Team, The Movement, The Wake, Promethea: The Immateria Edition from DC/Vertigo, Ten Grand, The Dream Merchant, Jim Rigg’s Supermag, Chris Northrop and Jeff Stokely’s The Reason for Dragons, Brenda Starr: The Complete Pre-Code Comic Books, Vol. 1, Gilbert Hernandez’s Marble Season, Matt Kindt’s Red Handed: The Fine Art of Strange Crimes, Jim Woodring’s Fran, The Metabarons: The Ultimate Collection, Mike Carey’s Suicide Risk, and two exciting titles from a brand new publisher, Black Mask Studios. Two Guys with (easy) PhDs also observe some weirdness in their iTunes revi

This week the Two Guys with PhDs eulogize the recently ended Hellblazer series and the publication of its 300th issue.  This is a sad occasion, since both Andy and Derek love Hellblazer, but at the same time both are generally pleased with how the series ended.  In this episode the two guys spend a lot of time discussing the impact and the legacy of John Constantine, his place in both the Vertigo line and the DC Universe, the strengths and shortcomings of the newer, younger Constatine in Justice League Dark, and they also speculate on the new title, Constantine, and what that might be. In addition, Andy succinctly encapsulates Brian Azzarello's run on Hellblazer with canine acuity.

This is the first of what will become a monthly supplement to our regular episodes of The Comics Alternative: an on-location recording at Lone Star Comics in Plano, Texas.  On this inaugural outing, Derek discusses the final issue of Hellblazer with Lone Star Comics associate and all-around John Constantine expert, Shea Hennum. Over the course of their discussion, Shea and Derek — unfortunately, Andy is unable to join the talk — look back at the history of the title, its significance in the Vertigo line of comics, and how the character of Constantine has evolved through the hands of a variety of writers and artists.  They also plunge into other topics such as the New 52, manga, the Franco-Belgian tradition, and customers of Lone Star Comics who are too paranoid to share their opinions on the podcast.  Finally, they are joined by the location’s manager, Rick Cromack, and from there the discussion becomes a strange, fun, rapid-fire, free-for-all.

This week Andy and Derek begin what will be a two-episode look at recent crime, detective, and noir comics. In this first installment, they discuss two general kinds of of these comics: heist/caper and unconventional noir.  With the former, the Two Guys with PhDs look specifically at Robert Kirkman, Nick Spencer, James Asmus, and Shawn Martinbrough’s Thief of Thieves; Gary Phillip and Marc Laming’s The Rinse; and Howard Chaykin’s Marked Man.  Next, they turn their focus to several unconventional comics that blend genres and narrative styles in interesting ways.  These titles include Chaykin’s Black Kiss II, Ed Brubacker and Sean Phillips’s Fatale, Victor Quinaz and Brent Schoonover’s Mr. Murder Is Dead, and Joe Grahn and Carl Yonder’s Pirate Eye.

This week Andy and Derek review issues 4 and 5 of the mini-comic So Buttons, the creation of writer Jonathan Baylis and a whole slew of artists.  In their discussion the Two Guys with PhDs draw connections between Baylis’s work and that of other autobiographical comics writers, such as Harvey Pekar and Jeffrey Brown, and highlight some of the strategies that make So Buttons work.  All of this eventually leads to comments on NPR, war films, and dead birds.

Once again Andy and Derek delve into the pages of the latest Previews catalog, and there they find many wondrous things!  This month they note upcoming new series such as X, Jupiter Legacy, Miniature Jesus, Polarity, as well as a number of original graphic novels and collected editions, including Bloodhound from Dark Horse, the Solo Deluxe Edition and Jack Kirby’s In the Days of the Mob from DC Comics, The Secret Service from Marvel, Strange Attractors from Archaia, The Property from Drawn and Quarterly, and Crater XV and Heck from Top Shelf.  They also bring up flaming poop and sticks on fire.

On this episode Andy and Derek turn their critical sites on the work of Grant Morrison. Joining them in the discussion is Marc Singer, the author of Grant Morrison: Combining the Worlds of Contemporary Comics.  Although much of the talk revolves around Morrison's non-superhero work - e.g., The Invisibles, The Filth, Seaguy, Flex Mentallo, We3, Sebastian O, The Mystery Play, and Happy! - Derek, Andy, and Marc bring into their discussion titles such as Arkham Asylum, Batman Gothic, Final Crisis, JLA, New X-Men, and Morrison's recent run on Action Comics.  So whether you are a diehard superhero fan, or your tastes run more to alternative or non-mainstream comics, you'll definitely find this an episode worth listening to.

This week Andy and Derek take on the herculean (or sisyphean, take your pick of Greek reference) task of discussing Chris Ware’s Building Stories.  And they do so, surprising, without pulling any important muscles!  There is a lot to talk about concerning Building Stories, and the Two Guys with PhDs are only able to scratch the surface in this episode.  But in their review, they nonetheless touch on a variety of important points and questions to consider.  In fact, one of the conclusions reached is that Ware’s project — would you really call this a “book”? — raises more questions that it actually answers.  And that’s a good thing. They also review the Hernandez brother’s latest issue of Love & Rockets: New Stories, although they don’t spend near as much time discussing this as they do Chris Ware’s book.  But don’t let the length of the review fool you.  Jaime and Gilbert’s recent installment of their New Stories is one of the strongest they’ve created so far.

With the spring semester beginning for most schools around the country, it’s only appropriate that The Two Guys with Ph.Ds Who Talk about Comics use this time to focus on comics pedagogy.  On this week’s episode, Andy and Derek hold a roundtable discussion with Lan Dong and James Bucky Carter, two scholars who know a lot about teaching comics.   Among other issues, the roundtable participants converse over what kind of works they teach, the challenges of teaching superhero narratives, the pros and cons of anthologies, censorship and graphic content, the links (as well as the disconnects) between comics scholarship and the use of comics in the classroom, pop culture (movies, television, games, etc.) and its impact on how we read and teach comics, and the need for a useful comics studies textbook.

This week Andy and Derek sift through the January issue of Previews and highlight new titles that will soon be coming out from a wide variety of publishers. Some of the comics discussed include this year’s Free Comic Book Day offerings; Dark Horse’s B.P.R.D.: Vampire and Mister X: Hard Candy; the new Constantine and Time Warp from DC/Vertigo; IDW’s Doctor Who Classics; several new Image Comics offerings, including East of West, Five Ghosts: The Haunting of Fabian Gray, and Lost Vegas; All Crime from Art of Fiction; Oni Press’ Helheim; new comics adaptations, including Eureka Production’s Native American Classics, as well as H.P. Lovecraft’s The Case of Charles Dexter Ward and The Complete Don Quixote from SelfMadeHero; the upcoming “secret” history of Marvel Comics from Blake Bell and Michael J. Vassallo; and brand new works from such notable creators as Bill Griffith, Kim Deitch, Bob Fingerman, and the team of James Vance and Dan Burr.

This week, Derek and Andy talk to Ming Doyle, the extraordinary artist behind the new Image mini-series, Mara.  In this, the first Comics Alternative episode of 2013, Ming speaks with the Two Guys with PhDs (who talk about comics) about her work with Brian Wood, the joys of creating online comics, her nascent attempts at scripting stories, the evolution of her experience with high-tech writing tools, and what she got for Christmas.  All in all, a great way to start the new year!

This week Andy and Derek conclude their two-part holiday and end-of-the-year series, this time sharing what they consider to be some of their favorite comics of the year. Each has narrowed down his list to 10 comics series, trades, collections, and graphic novels, and in many ways it was difficult to limit the number to just 10.  As a result, the Two Guys are including in the show notes some of the Honorable Mentioned titles that could have also made it onto their best-of lists.  Also in this week’s podcast episode, Andy and Derek briefly discuss some of the comic-book series that ended in 2012, and that they’re sorry to see go, as well as some of their notable disappointments for the year.