Comics Alternative

Time Codes: 00:00:27 - Introduction 00:07:03 - Brief comments on the 2016 Ignatz Award nominees for Outstanding Online Comic 00:18:07 - The Red Hook 00:57:28 - Kill 6 Billion Demons 01:21:11 - Interview with Jim McClain and Paul Schultz 01:41:15 - Rice Boy 02:13:55 - Wrap up 02:15:30 - Contact us On this extra-long episode of The Comics Alternative Webcomics, Sean and Derek cover a lot of territory on the webcomics front. They begin with a few brief comments on this year's Ignatz Award nominees for Outstanding Online Comic. They also contrast the way that the Ignatz judges classify webcomics with what the Eisner Awards has been doing lately, combining webcomics and digital comics. After that, the guys jump into the core of this month's episode with a look at Dean Haspiel's The Red Hook. They discuss, among other things, the fact that superhero comics are relatively rare in webcomics and that this title is reminiscent of what Haspiel did with The Fox, for Archie Comics, and with his own comics

Time Codes: 00:00:25 - Introduction 00:02:28 - Setup of interview 00:03:38 - Interview with Peter Hogan 00:45:36 - Wrap up 00:46:10 - Contact us Peter Hogan is the guest on this episode of The Comics Alternative Interviews. His new miniseries in the Resident Alien line, The Man with No Name, begins next week with the release of issue #1. Derek talks with Peter about this ongoing Dark Horse series and what we can expect in this new narrative arc. They also spend a good deal of time discussing the genesis of Resident Alien, possible inspirations for the title, its episodic publishing model, and the working relationship between Peter and the artist of the series, Steve Parkhouse. Derek asks Peter about the stand-alone nature of each storyline, and how, at the same time, he's able to weave a larger ongoing narrative that binds everything together and develops incrementally with each issue. In this way, and to use American television comparisons, Resident Alien reads like episodes of Cannon or Quincy (wh

It's the beginning of September, the first of the month, so that must mean it's time for the Two Guys with PhDs Talking about Comics to look at the latest Previews catalog. As they do every month, Andy and Derek carefully go through the the Diamond publication, highlighting upcoming titles they're interested in, commenting on solicitations that sound interesting, and discussing creators they look forward to reading. Among the many comics they mention on this episode are from publishers such as Dark Horse Comics - Ether #1 and Dept. H Volume 1: Pressure DC/Vertigo - Mother Panic #1 and Jack of Fables: Deluxe Edition Book One IDW Publishing/Top Shelf - Comic Book History of Comics #1, Tonoharu: Part Three, The Theory of the Grain of Sand, and Weird Love: Jailbird Romance Image Comics - A.D.: After Death, Book One, Frontier #1, Violent Love #1, Chew #60, and One Week in the Library Abstract Studio - Motor Girl #1 Action Lab - Athena Voltaire and the Volcano Goddess #1 Alternative Comics - Compulsive

Time Codes: 00:00:24 - Introduction 00:02:13 - Setup of interview 00:03:30 - Interview with Dash Shaw 01:02:39 - Wrap up 01:03:52 - Contact us On this interview episode, Derek talks with Dash Shaw about his latest book, Cosplayers (Fantagraphics). This "Perfect Collection," as it is called, brings together the Cosplayers stories that were previously released in the two earlier comic-book issues from April and July 2014, as well as the story that appeared in the 2015 Free Comic Book Day release of Hip Hop Family Tree Three-in-One. (The guys reviewed Cosplayers #1 in Episode 83.) However, as Dash points out, this isn't a mere repackaging of his earlier Cosplayers comics. The book not only includes brand new material, but it also reworks some of the visuals from the original stories. A telling example of this can be found in some of the book's collage art, where Dash takes the covers and some of the interior pages from the earlier comics, cuts them up, and re-presents them in collage form...much like h

Time Codes: 00:00:28 - Introduction 00:02:45 - Setup of reviews 00:04:37 - Spanish Fever 00:46:27 - The Longest Day of the Future 01:00:45 - Growing Up in Public 01:28:04 - Wrap up 01:29:12 - Contact us This month on the Euro Comics series, Edward and Derek discuss three works translated from Spanish, and all published by Fantagraphics. They begin with the anthology Spanish Fever: Stories by the New Spanish Cartoonists, edited by Santiago García. This is a collection of contemporary comics coming out of Spain, bringing together works by over thirty creators including Paco Roca, Max, Miguel Gallardo, David Rubín and Miguel Ángel Martín, as well as newcomers such as José Domingo, Anna Galvañ, Álvaro Ortiz and Sergi Puyol. As the guys point out, the styles, genres, and themes are diverse, making this not only a valuable introduction to new Spanish artists, but a well-rounded comics collection by any standard. Next, the Two Guys turn to two creators from Argentina. The first is Lucas Varela and hi

Time Codes: 00:00:29 - Introduction 00:02:10 - Setup of interview 00:03:55 - Interview with Gina Wynbrandt 00:27:16 - Interview with Will Dinski 01:03:48 - Interview with MariNaomi 01:39:32 - Wrap up 01:40:41 - Contact us The Two Guys have discussed 2dcloud comics in past -- see their review of Austin English’s Gulag Casual as well as the coverage of last year's Ignatz Awards -- but on this episode, they take a deep dive into the publisher's recent releases. They do this by interviewing three of the creators who have had, or will have, new books coming out from 2dcloud: Gina Wynbrandt, Will Dinksi, and MariNaomi. The guys talk with all three about their recent publications -- Someone Please Have Sex with Me, Trying Not to Notice, and Turning Japanese -- but they also use the opportunity to delve into each artist's broader career. For example, Andy and Derek talk with Gina about her history with, and preference for, fan-inspired minicomics. In their conversation with Will, they ask about his 2dclou

Time Codes: 00:00:35 - Introduction 00:02:39 - Setup of reviews 00:03:07 - Listener mail 00:06:13 - The Black Monday Murders #1 00:27:30 - Kingsway West #1 00:39:49 - Jeff Steinberg: Champion of Earth #1 00:54:04 - Superf*ckers Forever #1 01:06:47 - Wrap up 01:07:56 - Contact us 01:09:47 - "Superf*ckers Theme Song" This week the Two Guys decide to mix up their routine a bit and review nothing but recent #1 issues. They begin with Jonathan Hickman and Tomm Coker's The Black Monday Murders (Image Comics), a unique take on the crime genre. In this extra-long first issue, Hickman unpacks his premise via design, prose, and visuals, creating a dense narrative world filled with conspiratorial intrigue and anchored in history. Next, Andy and Derek discuss an even more genre-bending comic, Kingsway West (Dark Horse Comics). Written by Greg Pak and with art by Mirko Colak, the story combines fantasy with the mid-nineteenth-century American West, while at the same time hovering in the territory of altern

For the August manga episode, Shea and Derek go topless...at least that's a common condition that they sense in the two titles that they discuss this month. They begin with Hiroya Oku's Inuyashiki, the fourth English-language volume of which was released in June by Kodansha Comics. It's the story of an older Sad Sack of a salaryman, Ichiro Inuyashiki, whose slowly crumbling life is turned around after contact with an alien life form. As a result of this encounter, his body is replaced with a weapon-grade robotic shell, and over the course the first four volumes, Inuyashiki learns to use his new condition to positively change the lives of others. However, complications arise when another man similarly changed by the same alien encounter decides to use his powers for more nihilist purposes. Shea and Derek spend much time discussing Oku's art -- a clean yet static style -- the borderline melodrama of the storytelling, and the fact that Inuyashiki goes around without a shirt much of the time. After that, the guy

Time Codes: 00:00:25 - Introduction 00:02:42 - Setup of interview 00:03:56 - Interview with Nate Powell 01:10:11 - Interview with Andrew Aydin 02:12:26 - Wrap up 02:13:57 - Contact us On this interview show, Andy and Derek do something different. They talk with both Nate Powell and Andrew Aydin, the artist and coauthor of the recently completed March trilogy (Top Shelf Productions), but instead of interviewing both creators together, the guys talk with them separately and then combine the two recordings into one long episode. So in this show, over two hours and fifteen minutes long, you'll hear about the genesis and the creative turns that went into the March books from both the artist's and the writer's perspectives. Nate and Andrew also discuss their time working with Congressman John Lewis, his wealth of experiences from the Civil Rights Movement, and the creative choices that each of them had to make when representing those events. For example, Nate explains the challenges that faced him when i

Time Codes: 00:00:30 - Introduction 00:02:33 - Listener mail 00:11:07 - Smoke Signal #25 00:33:54 - Fool's Gold 00:44:49 - Briggs Land #1 01:00:28 - Wrap up 01:01:26 - Contact us On this week's review episode, the Two Guys with PhDs discuss three recent titles, a couple of which are probably not on most listeners' radar. They begin with one of these, the latest issue of Smoke Signal, a quarterly tabloid comics anthology published by Desert Island Comics (a shop in Brooklyn, NY) and edited by Gabe Fowler. Andy and Derek focus mainly on the summer 2016 issue, #25, although they also mention several comics in the previous spring issue. Some of the standouts in the latest include Tim Lane's contributions -- the Steve McQueen-inspired "Barnstormer" and the tabloid's center spread, "The Assassination of Billy Lyons by that Bad Man Stagger Lee" -- a new "Cosplayers" story from Dash Shaw, another in Al Columbia's "Pim and Francie" series, Siobhan Gallagher's experimental "Apartment to Be," the portfolio

Time Codes: 00:00:25 - Introduction 00:02:07 - Setup of interview 00:03:01 - Interview with Leela Corman 01:06:25 - Wrap up 01:07:25 - Contact us On this interview show, Andy and Derek have the pleasure of talking with Leela Corman. Her latest book, We All Wish for Deadly Force, was just recently released by Retrofit/Big Planet Comics, and it's a collection of shorter comics spanning a wide range of topic and tone. These pieces have previously appeared in such publications as The Nib, Tablet, Women's Review of Books, and Nautilus, and the guys begin by asking Leela about her work with these magazines. As both Derek and Andy point out, the comics in this collection fall into one of three main (and, at times, interconnected) categories: stories addressing the loss of her first daughter, Rosalie; those focusing on Leela's family and her Jewish roots; and tales involving bellydancing, one of Leela's passions. Indeed, the loss of Rosalie arguably pervades this entire collection in some form or another --

Time Codes: 00:26 - Introduction 03:33 - Announcement: the Young Readers series' one-year anniversary! 06:51 - Might Jack 22:26 - Ghosts 45:17 - Wrap up 45:37 - Contact us Although some kids may not be so excited to be heading back to school, Gwen and Andy (the Two People with PhDs) give young readers cause to rejoice this month with the upcoming release of two new graphic novels: Mighty Jack (First Second) by Ben Hatke and Ghosts (Graphix/Scholastic) by Raina Telgemeier. Andy starts things off with Mighty Jack, the story of a kid named Jack who’s not having a very fun summer. To make ends meet, Jack’s single mom finds a second job, but that means Jack will have sole responsibility of keeping an eye on his autistic sister Maddy. Maddy never speaks, until one day at a flea market she shocks Jack by telling him that he must buy a box of seeds from a sketchy-looking man. Later, as Jack and Maddy plant a garden with their new seeds, weird, magical, and dangerous things begin to happen. Next, Gwen

This month for the on-location recording at Collected Comics and Games in Plano, TX, the discussion table is rather crowded. Derek is joined by many of the regular Collected customers -- Craig, Matt, and Nick -- but joining the conversation for the first time are Tristan, Chris, and Carrie, as well as Brian, the shop's newest associate. The talk begins with Craig's recounting of his own experiences at this year's San Diego Comic-Com, but then it segues into a discussion of recent comics that folks have been reading. Some of those titles include Grant Morrison's Klaus, Divinity II, Black Hammer, Backstagers, Giant Days, Voltron Legendary Defender, Fight Club 2, Black Panther, Wonder Woman, and various Brian K. Vaughan titles.  They also discuss several comics-related Netflix shows, DC's upcoming Young Animal series, and writers in other media who have tried their hands in comics. Needless to say, this is a packed episode with a full table of participants and plenty of topics to go around.

This week the Two Guys with PhDs visit grounds they rarely tread: superhero comics. Don't worry, they don't completely forsake their mission statement, but they definitely approach the line. While each of the titles they discuss reflect the mainstream and/or the superhero genre, in one way or another, they all nonetheless stand outside of the usual machinations of the Big Two. The guys begin with Tarzan: The Complete Joe Kubert Years (Dark Horse Books), a 600+ page omnibus collecting almost all of Kubert's DC Tarzan run. Or at least those stories on which he served as artist, in some way. In fact, Andy admits at the outset that this idea for a superhero-tinged episode springs from him wanting to discuss Kubert's Tarzan. And as both he and Derek make clear, this is an impressive volume that is well worth reading. It contains adaptations of three of Edgar Rice Burroughs's novels -- Tarzan of the Apes, The Return of Tarzan, and Tarzan and the Iron Man -- and a wealth of short stories Kubert wrote for the 1970s

On this interview episode Derek has the pleasure of talking with Koren Shadmi. His latest book, Love Addict: Confessions of a Serial Dater was released last month from Top Shelf Productions. They begin the conversation by discussing the genesis of this semi-autobiographical project and Koren's own experiences on singles dating websites. He describes the challenge of making his protagonist, K., both identifiable and problematic, all the while walking a fine line between authenticity and potential charges of misogyny. But they also discuss Koren's other works, including his experimental story collection, In the Flesh, and his webcomic-turned-book, The Abaddon. Koren also discusses his latest webcomic on the Vice channel, Motherboard, and his plans for future projects. Derek also asks his guest about last year's Mike's Place: A True Story of Love, Blues, and Terror in Tel Aviv, his own Israeli roots, and his thoughts on being identified (and perhaps pigeonholed) as a Jewish or Israeli cartoonist.

On this, the second episode of the new Euro Comics series, Edward and Derek discuss two recent publications that involve journeys, but in vastly different ways. They begin with the latest translation from IDW's EuroComics imprint, The Adventures of Dieter Lumpen. Written by Jorge Zentner and with art by Rubén Pellejero (and translated by Carlos Guzman and Dean Mullaney), this volume collects all of the Dieter Lumpen stories the two originally published between 1985 and 1994. The eleven tales contained within are standalone adventures of the titular protagonist. And his travels take him all over the globe. In fact, the guys spend a good deal of time discussing the adventure genre and how The Adventures of Dieter Lumpen taps into the rich tradition of this kind of comic by Franco-Belgian creators. But what distinguishes these stories from those of Hergé's Tintin -- and even from the kind of American adventures found in the Indiana Jones movies -- is the inadvertent, reluctant, and even unheroic nature of Dieter

On this episode of The Comics Alternative, Derek and Andy celebrate their 200th regular review episode! They begin by sharing some of the messages and well wishes they've received from listeners in the past couple of weeks. After that, they get into a discussion of this week's review titles. They begin with Eric Powell's new series, Hillbilly (Albatross Funnybooks), the second issue of which was just released last week. The guys focus on Powell's use of folktale tropes and storytelling techniques, pointing out that this title reads more somberly than does The Goon and Billy the Kid's Old Timey Oddities (at least so far), although it does have its humorous moments. Albeit subtle. Much more in-your-face is Satan's Sodomy Baby #2 -- branded as SSBII for "safer" consumption -- Powell's other Albatross Funnybooks publication. This is a follow up to the 2007 one-shot Satan's Sodomy Baby, and like the earlier issue this comic book will not be reprinted nor will it be released digitally. And, appropriately enough,

This month on the webcomics series, Sean and Derek delve into three tonally different titles. They begin with Sam Logan's long-running Sam and Fuzzy. This is a series that has been around since 2001, starting off as a gag strip in Logan's college's student newspaper and then becoming a webcomic in 2002. The creator diligently keeps his Monday/Wednesday/Friday schedule of publication, and with almost fifteen years behind it, that's a substantive webcomic. In fact, the Two Guys discuss the intricacies of its storylines, the expansion of its cast, and the evolution of Logan's art. One would be hard pressed to find a webcomic with a more dynamic history, and the guys try their best to cover as many points as possible. Next, Derek and Sean's discussion takes a decidedly literary turn with Ulysses Seen, a webcomic adaptation of James Joyce's masterpiece. Illustrated and adapted by Robert Berry, this is a project that attempts to capture the novel it the fullest sense. This is no mere graphic Cliff Notes version of

This week on the podcast, Andy and Derek discuss the August Previews catalog. Even more importantly, the Two Guys celebrate the four-year anniversary of the podcast! That's right, The Comics Alternative is now four years old, having its first episode published on August 1, 2012. So this episode begins with a brief assessment of the many episodes they've done over the years. But the core of this week's show is a discussing of the solicitations in the latest Previews...and there are a lot of them worth mentioning. So many, in fact, that this is another extra long episode. Among the many upcoming title Derek and Andy highlight are from publishers such as Dark Horse Comics - Bait, Spell on Wheels #1, and Muhammad Ali DC/Vertigo - Cave Carson Has a Cybernetic Eye #1, The Lost Boys #1, and The Unwritten: Deluxe Edition, Book One IDW Publishing/Top Shelf - Dirk Gently: The Salmon of Doubt #1, Tom Tomorrow: 25 Years of Tomorrow, The Electric Sublime #1, and Super Weird Heroes Image Comics - Moonshine #1, Cann

Andy and Derek take a few moments to make a special announcement. August 1st will be their four-year anniversary, and the Two Guys with PhDs would like for listeners help celebrate by responding with their well wishes! That's right, get in touch with them via voice message, phone, email, and various forms of social media to tell them happy birthday!