Comics Alternative

Time Codes: 00:00:24 - Introduction 00:02:20 - Setup of interview 00:04:29 - Interview with Kristen Radtke 00:59:16 - Wrap up 01:01:39 - Contact us Andy and Derek are pleased to have as their guest Kirsten Radtke. Her new work Imagine Wanting Only This has just been released from Pantheon Books, and it's a deeply personal speculation on impermanence, decay, and abandonment. Using as a springboard significant events from her own life -- such as the loss of a beloved uncle and a fortuitous creative discovery -- Radtke explores our sense of place in a culture that privileges newness and disposability. The book has been described as a memoir, but the guys feel that it's better framed as a meditation, a contemplative graphic essay tinged with introspection and self-analysis. Over the course of the conversation, Radtke discusses the genesis of the project, her experiences with comics journalism, and the challenges of defining the art that she creates.

Time Codes: 00:00:30 - Introduction 00:03:21 - Listener mail! 00:05:50 - Translation news from Edward 00:11:49 - Notes 1: Born to Be a Larve 00:59:33 - California Dreamin': Cass Elliot before The Mamas and the Papas  01:32:13 - Wrap up 01:33:15 - Contact us   On this month's Euro Comics episode, Edward and Derek check out to recent publications, both from publishers that they've yet to discuss on the series. They begin with Boulet's Notes 1: Born to Be a Larve, just out from Soaring Penguin Press. This is the first collection of the comics Boulet created specifically for his blog, and this initial volume includes the entries published between July 2004 and July 2005. While the guys enjoy Boulet's work, they feel that the strips may not work as well in book form as they had originally on the blog. The episodic nature of the comics could probably be better appreciated as online updates than as a bound collection. Next, the guys turn to Pénélope Bagieu's latest English translation California Drea

As he tries to do every month, Derek visits his local shop, Valhalla Games and Comics in Plano, TX, to talk with customers and employees about what they're reading, what they're looking forward to, and what interests them in current comics culture. For April the topic is open, so anything goes...and the resulting conversation is free-floating and casual. Among the topics that come up are local conventions, Bones of the Coast from Cloudscape Comics, getting caught up with the Marvel Universe on Netflix, Astro City, Makoto Shinkai's Your Name, the return of Rat Queens, Kyle Starks's Rock Candy Mountain, the convoluted world of Love and Rockets, the new Anne Hathaway movie Colossal, and speculations on how (and if) comics creators will eventually work Donald Trump into their stories.  

Time Codes: 00:00:25 - Introduction 00:02:19 - Setup of interview 00:04:09 - Interview with Michael Eury 01:27:46 - Wrap up 01:28:38 - Contact us "Wonderful, warm blanket of camp" On this interview episode Derek talks with the Eisner Award-nominated editor-in-chief of Back Issue magazine Michael Eury. His new book Hero-a-Go-Go: Campy Comic Books, Crimefighters and Culture of the Swinging Sixties comes out from TwoMorrows Publishing next week, and the two discuss this project's genesis and the significance of the camp cultural phenomenon. This text stands out because Eury doesn't limit himself to just comics, but instead he looks at camp from a wider vista, revealing its convergence among television, film, toys, cartoons, music, and everyday consumable products. In Hero-a-Go-Go, readers will find in-depth discussions of such subjects as Metamorpho, The Inferior Five, Jerry Lewis comics, Monkeemania, Not Brand Echh, Hanna-Barbera cartoons, Herbie the Fat Fury, Captain Action, the TV Green Hornet, M

Time Codes: 00:00:30 - Introduction 00:02:21 - Setup 00:03:03 - Sticks Angelica, Folk Hero 00:28:16 - Adam Strange/Future Quest Special 00:45:10 - Booster Gold/The Flintstones Special 00:53:05 - Green Lantern/Space Ghost Special 01:04:30 - Suicide Squad/The Banana Splits Special 01:20:22 - Wrap up 01:22:14 - Contact us   This week Andy and Derek discuss five new titles. They start off with Michael DeForge's latest book, Sticks Angelica, Folk Hero (Drawn and Quarterly). While this is an unusual story, it's nonetheless one of DeForge's most conventional stories, at least when compared to many of his previous works. It's an episodic narrative about its titular character, a multi-talented 49-year-old woman who moves to a Canadian national park to escape a scandal surrounding her rich father's finances. There she befriends a bunny named Oatmeal, a moose lawyer who goes by the name "Lisa Hanawalt," a love-struck eel, a "marked" young woman called Girl McNally, dumb geese, proxy ants, a bear chro

Time Codes: 00:00:25 - Introduction 00:02:11 - Setup of interview 00:03:47 - Interview with Jon Morris 01:28:38 - Wrap up 01:30:09 - Contact us   Jon Morris returns to The Comics Alternative, this time to discuss his latest book The Legion of Regrettable Super Villains (Quirk Books). This one is a follow up to his 2015 The League of Regrettable Superheroes, a book that Jon discussed the last time he was on the podcast. Derek talks with his guest about the natural transition from weird and offbeat heroes to their villainous counterparts, the process of researching the new book, and the hard decisions he had to make in deciding what rogues to showcase. Jon also shares some of his favorite regrettable villains across the Golden, Silver, and Modern Ages as well as possible plans for similar books in the future. The Club of Regrettable Sidekicks, anyone? See where it all started! Visit Jon's blog, Gone and Forgotten, and get the inside scoop on retro comicdom! And if you're a Columbo fan, check out hi

Time Codes: 00:00:29 - Introduction 00:03:22 - Catching up and con season 00:05:37 - Update on Poe and the Mysteriads 00:09:10 - Conceptual Heist 00:37:07 - Ménage à 3 01:06:29 - Smash: Monstrous 01:24:09 - Wrap up 01:26:13 - Contact us This month Sean and Derek offer a genre buffet of webcomics goodness. They begin with Jay D’Ici and Matt G. Gagnon's Conceptual Heist, a heist narrative with a unique science fiction twist. As the guys reveal, the story is solid, and the black-and-white art, accentuated with a monochromatic blue, suggests a noir tone. After that they discuss a highly popular webcomic that has been around since 2008, Gisele Lagace and David Lumsdon's Ménage à 3. Derek and Sean describe this as a cross among Strangers in Paradise, Archie, and the TV series Three's Company...but more suggestive and explicit than the latter. While the guys can see the appeal of this thrice-weekly strip, they nonetheless feel that reading its various narrative arcs over a more concentrated time per

Time Codes: 00:00:25 - Introduction 00:02:18 - Setup of interview 00:04:43 - Interview with Gabby Schulz 01:11:55 - Wrap up 01:14:04 - Contact us "The sewage of negativity I bring to comics" In an interview that is a long time in coming, Gwen and Derek have the pleasure of talking with Gabby Schulz. His new collection of diary comics, The Process of Drastically Reducing One's Expectations, was recently released from Alec Longstreth's Phase Eight Publishing, and in their conversation, Gabby shares his views on the uses and misuses of autobiographical comics. And the three spend a lot of time discussing several of Gabby's earlier works, especially Sick and Monsters (both published through Secret Acres), and how the personal necessarily becomes political when exploring individual shortcomings and predilections. Gwen and Derek also ask Gabby about "Ken Dahl," his recent travels, and the experiences of living on the road. Be sure to visit the artist's Ignatz Award-nominated website Gabby's Playhouse.

It's time to look at the current Previews catalog from Diamond, and for this month Derek is joined by Paul, the new cohost of the monthly Young Readers series. Paul has helped out on earlier Previews shows, and as Andy has jokingly pointed out, on those occasions the episodes have tended to clock in on the longish side. And indeed, that's what happens this week! But the lengthiness of the April Previews show is filled not only with choice solicits, but also with critical commentary, astute observations, and even a couple of soapbox rants. In their highlights from this month's catalog, the guys discuss offerings from: Dark Horse Comics - Briggs Land: Lone Wolves #1, Bankshot #1, Calla Cthulhu, and the trade of Dead Inside DC/Vertigo - Shade, the Changing Girl, Vol. 1: Earth Girl Made Easy and a new edition of It's a Bird... IDW Publishing/Top Shelf - Clue #1, Surfside Girls: The Secret of Danger Point, and Super Weird Heroes: Preposterous but True! Image Comics - Crosswind #1, The Divided States of Hys

Time Codes: 00:24 - Introduction 03:03 - Setup of interview 06:30 - Interview with Jon Nielsen 43:18 - Wrap up 44:33 - Contact us On this episode, Gwen and Derek welcome Jon Nielsen to The Comics Alternative. His new book Look recently debuted at the MoCCA Arts Festival, and Jon talks with the cohosts on the eve of the event. Among the various topics they cover, Gwen and Derek ask Jon about the story's evolution from webcomic to printed form, his process in finding an appropriate publisher, the existential nature of his narrative -- something like a Waiting for Godot with cute robots -- the all-age appropriateness of his storytelling, and his broader work within the webcomics format. His popular online title, Massive Pwnage, came to an end last year. Jon is a young creator, doing some exciting things, and both Gwen and Derek were glad to get him on the podcast in early bloom. To learn more about Jon's comics, visit his website, Dark Magic Press!

Time Codes: 00:00:27 - Introduction 00:02:11 - Setup of Sumter Comic Arts Symposium 00:05:19 - Sophie Goldstein and Carl Antonowicz 00:54:35 - Jeremy Whitley 01:32:20 - Wrap up 01:34:13 - Contact us Our Man in Sumter As listeners of The Comics Alternative know, Andy oversees the annual Sumter Comic Arts Symposium every spring, and this year is no different. And this time, not only has he organized the entire event, but he also took time out of his duties to interview several of the creators who appeared at the symposium. First, he speaks with Sophie Goldstein and Carl Antonowicz at the local Waffle House -- the sound quality isn't ideal, but the breakfast ambience is palpable -- and then he conducts an interview with Jeremy Whitley, talking primarily about his recent work with Marvel Comics. Be sure to check out today's companion on-location episode where Derek talks with several artists and publishers at Fan Expo Dallas 2017!

Time Codes: 00:00:27 - Introduction 00:02:10 - Setup of Dallas Fan Expo 00:03:54 - Robert Wilson IV 00:11:10 - Terry Moore 00:28:02 - Raechel Alexis Gasparac and Dusk Publishing 00:35:25 - Ed Brisson 00:44:49 - Joe Eisma 00:50:02 - Matt Hawkins 01:00:06 - Wrap up 01:02:51 - Contact us This past weekend Derek attended Dallas Fan Expo 2017, and there he was able to talk with several creators and publishers for the podcast. Some of his guests are individuals who have been on the podcast before -- either while at conventions or on regular interview episodes -- although some are appearing on The Comics Alternative for the first time. Those talking with Derek on this on-location show include Robert Wilson IV, Terry Moore, Raechel Alexis Gasparac, Ed Brisson, Joe Eisma, and Matt Hawkins. Enjoy, won't you? Be sure to check out today's companion on-location episode where Andy talks with a few creators at the Sumter Comic Arts Symposium!

Time Codes: 00:00:26 - Introduction 00:03:29 - Listener mail! 00:07:21 - Follow up on Revolutionary Girl Utena 00:08:40 - Ichi-F: A Worker's Graphic Memoir of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant 00:33:42 - Platinum End 01:10:43 - Wrap up 01:12:16 - Contact us   This month on The Comics Alternative's manga series, Shea and Derek check out two very different titles. They begin with Kazuto Tatsuta's Ichi-F: A Worker's Graphic Memoir of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant (Kodansha Comics). This is a 500+ page account of the reconstruction and cleanup in the wake of 2011's disaster in Fukushima. As the guys discuss, the text does two things at once: provides objective reportage of the situation surrounding Fukushima and reveals the author's very personal experiences  in securing and maintaining his role in the cleanup efforts. While both guys enjoyed the book, perhaps Derek more than Shea, they nonetheless wondered about Tatsuta's background as a mangaka -- "Kazuto Tatsuta" is a nom de plume, so it's

Time Codes: 00:00:25 - Introduction 00:02:44 - Setup of interview 00:03:37 - Interview with Kyle Starks 01:01:47 - Wrap up 01:02:54 - Contact us The Two Guys with PhDs are happy to have Kyle Starks back on the show. This time, they talk with him about his new Image Comics series Rock Candy Mountain, the first issue of which comes out next week. In their conversation, the guys ask Kyle about the genesis of this project, his collaboration with Chris Schweizer, the fascination with hobos, and his decision to set the narrative in post-war America. Andy and Derek also spend a good deal of time talking with their guest about the demands of writing and drawing for an ongoing monthly series and how that dynamic might have changed his storytelling style, previously exemplified by the original graphic novels Sexcastle and Kill Them All. Along the way, they discuss his ongoing writing for Rick and Morty, other projects in the works, and possibilities for Kyle's hobo name.

This week Andy and Derek check out three recent titles for listeners with divergent, yet discerning, tastes. They begin with Leila Del Duca and Kit Seaton's Afar, an original graphic novel coming out next week from Image Comics. Both of the guys enjoyed the story, although Derek feels that the narration is unbalanced. It's almost as if the creators hadn't ultimately decided where to take their fantasy or which character's perspective they wanted to privilege. Andy feels that this "incompleteness" may be due to future plans for the story, that this may be the first installment in a series of graphic novels. Next, the Two Guys turn to the first issue in the latest series from Ray Fawkes, Underwinter (Image Comics). While the creator's art style here is reminiscent of his earlier miniseries, Intersect, the storytelling is more immediate and accessible. In what purports to be an ongoing horror series, this first issue of the initial arc does everything that it needs to do and nicely sets the stage for what's to

Andy and Derek are glad to have as their guest Josh Bayer. He is one of the creative minds behind Fantagrahic's new retro-superhero series, All Time Comics. This line kicked off in March with its first issue, All Time Comics: Crime Destroyer #1, and in April they'll release All Time Comics: Bullwhip #1, soon to be followed by issues devoted to other characters in its universe, Atlas and Blind Justice. Josh talks with the Two Guys about the genesis of this project and his collaboration with his filmmaker brother, Samuel. He also shares his experiences in working with Herb Trimpe on the Crime Destroyer issue -- the last art by this comics legend -- and with Ben Marra, who provides the inks. The latter also provided the pencils on Bullwhip, along with Al Milgrom on inks. Over the course of their conversation, the guys discuss the strange retro feel of the series, one that is more of a heartfelt and sincere tribute and not a campy send up. Nonetheless, All Time Comics already has its share of wacky villains, incl

On this month’s episode of the Comics Alternative’s Young Readers series, Gwen and Paul discuss two new releases: Lorena Alvarez’s Nightlights from Nobrow Press, geared toward younger readers, and Thi Bui’s graphic novel The Best We Could Do, from Abrams ComicArts, an all-ages comic that will be of interest to our teen and adult listeners. They also had a chance to interview Thi Bui and include that segment at the end of the review portion of the show. Lorena Alvarez’s Nightlights, a beautiful hardback, picture book-sized comic, focuses on the early years in the life of a young girl, Sandy, who clearly has artistic ambitions and an abundance of creativity. However, Sandy also experiences doubts regarding the source of her imagination and fears about what might happen if inspiration were suddenly to desert her. Gwen and Paul love how Alvarez respects the creative process of a young artist, and they appreciate how Alvarez brings her own experiences growing up in Bogotá, Columbia, into the themes and artwork fo

On this episode of the interview series, the Three Guys with PhDs -- Andy, Gene, and Derek -- talk with Brian Cremins about his new book from the University Press of Mississippi Captain Marvel and the Art of Nostalgia. During their conversation Brian discusses why he chose to focus specifically on the Big Red Cheese, what the comics meant to him growing up, and the superhero's links to nostalgia. As he points out, Captain Marvel isn't the most popular figure for critical or scholarly discussion, but the contexts surrounding the Fawcett property make it the perfect vehicle for the kind of analysis Brian wanted to bring. Gene, Andy, and Derek also ask their guest about the research that went into his book, the kind of archival investigations he conducted, the correspondences he struck up along the way, his efforts in securing a unique cover image, and his strategies for making this, in many ways, a very personal work. Shazam!

For this week's show, Andy and Derek look at two examples of life writing and one Dracula-infused alternate history. They begin with Paula Knight's The Facts of Life, one of the latest in the Pennsylvania State University Press' Graphic Medicine series. This is the story of Knight and her partner's attempts to get pregnant, but more significantly, it's a personal account of the contexts and societal expectations surrounding motherhood. After that they look at Sara Lautman's Black and White Diary Comics, December 2016 - February 2017 (Birdcage Bottom Books), a collection of black-and-white strips that episodically chronicles the artist's life over the past few months. Finally, the Two Guys wrap up with with Anno Dracula #1 (Titan Comics), the next installment in Kim Newman's series of novels...this one in comics form. With art by Paul McCaffrey, this first miniseries, subtitled "1895: Seven Days in Mayhem," could stand as a solid introduction to Newman's vampiric storyworld.

The Two Guys are pleased to have Peter Bagge back on The Comics Alternative. His new book Fire!! The Zora Neale Hurston Story comes out this week from Drawn and Quarterly. It is another in Bagge's recent series of historical and biographical comics, following his brief biography of Isabel Paterson (appearing in Reason in 2010), Woman Rebel: The Margaret Sanger Story (2013), and Founding Father Funnies (2016). In this interview, Derek talks with Peter about the genesis of this project, what brought him to the writings and personality of Huston, the socio-political contexts surrounding Hurston's work, and his research efforts in compiling the graphic biography. Fire!! is, in many ways, a companion piece to Woman Rebel, in that both focus on iconoclastic female figures, and their stories are told through an episodic, almost snap-shot, manner of narration. Although Peter and Derek spend the majority their time discussing Zora Neale Hurston, they also cover some of Peter's other works, such as his Founding Father