Comics Alternative

On the July manga episode, Shea and Derek discuss two recent publications that highlight, in different ways, the history of the Japanese medium. They begin with Seiichi Hayashi's Red Red Rock and Other Stories 1967-1970 (Breakdown Press). All but two stories that compose this collection were originally published in Garo, examples of the avant-garde coming from that publication in its heyday. Although not nearly as abstract and non-linear, Hayashi's manga reminds the guys of Sasaki Maki’s Ding Dong Circus, which they discussed in December's manga episode (and also a Breakdown Press publication). As both Derek and Shea point out, the stories collected in Red Red Rock represent some of the earliest of Hayashi's efforts, and they're noticeably more experimental, or at least less linear, than his other work available in English, such as Red Colored Elegy and the stories in Gold Pollen and Other Stories. Adding to this collection is an astute contextualizing essay by Ryan Holmberg, also the book's translator. Afte

This week the Two Guys with PhDs turn their attention to three recent noir titles. But before they jump into their reviews, they talk about comics news and recent awards. First, they congratulate Sonny Liew on receiving this year's Singapore Literature Prize for English fiction for his best-selling work The Art Of Charlie Chan Hock Chye. This comes on the heels of him getting the Book of the Year accolade at the Singapore Book Awards, held in May. Next, Andy and Derek say a few words about the results of this year's Eisner Awards, announced at SDCC last Friday. The guys note that there are really no surprises in the winners, and that with perhaps one or two exceptions, those coming out on top in their categories make perfect sense. They are particularly pleased that so many of the titles and creators that they've discussed on the podcast received this recognition, and they are especially excited that so many friends of the show -- such as Craig Yoe and Tom Heintjes -- received the coveted Eisner. After all

On this special episode of the Young Readers edition of The Comics Alternative, Gwen and Andy take a look at the 2016 Eisner Award nominees and winners in each of the three young readers categories. The Two People with PhDs discuss not only the books and their creators, but also the categories themselves, the changes they’ve seen in those categories over the years, and changes they’d like to see in the future. Gwen and Andy know you’ll find some great books here and hope you’ll share your thoughts with them once you’ve read them. (You can find a complete list of all the Eisner Award winners here as well as the complete list of nominees here.) In the lists below, the winner of the category is in bold face type. Best Publication for Early Readers (up to age 8) • Anna Banana and the Chocolate Explosion, by Dominque Roques and Alexis Dormal (First Second) • Little Robot, by Ben Hatke (First Second) • The Only Child, by Guojing (Schwartz & Wade) • SheHeWe, by Lee Nordling and Meritxell Bosch (Lerner Graphic

On this interview episode, Andy and Derek are pleased to have as their guest John Porcellino. Issue #76 of his long-running (twenty-six year!) minicomic, King-Cat Comics and Stories, has just been released, and the Two Guys talk with John about how different this issue is from his previous one. That issue, a heartfelt memorial to his cat, Maisie Kukoc, was more of a long-form story that may have expanded his audience. Andy asks John what readers who came to his work through issue #75 might think of the latest release, a more traditional issue of King-Cat Comics and Stories, and that question sets the stage for the rest of the conversation. Among the many topics John discusses in this interview are his processes of note-taking, the stylistic turning points of his career, his views on autobiographical comics, his experiences as a self-publisher and comics distributor, his philosophy of personal revelation, and the roles that music continues to play in his comics. In fact, one of the more interesting takeaways f

This week on The Comics Alternative podcast, those funky PhDs, Andy and Derek, discuss three recent titles revolving around the mercenary side of crime fighting. They begin with Jules Feiffer's Cousin Joseph (Liveright Publishing), the second in a planned trilogy of noir-tinged graphic novels. It is the follow up to 2014's Kill My Mother, a text that Feiffer discussed with the Two Guys in a previous interview. The events in Cousin Joseph predate those of the earlier book, making it a sort of prequel. In fact, many of the major players in Kill My Mother make appearances in this new work. Most notable are the characters Elsie and Annie, whose husband/father Sam becomes the central figure in the current narrative. Derek and Andy note the fact that Cousin Joseph is a more tightly constructed, and even a more ambitious, work than its predecessor, especially in its engagements with the sociopolitical matters of its setting. Next, the guys look at the first issue of a new series by Kurtis Wiebe and Mindy Lee. Bount

On this week's episode, the Two Guys with PhDs discuss three very different recent titles. They begin with the comics adaptation of Albert Camus's The Stranger, written and illustrated by Jacques Ferrandez (Pegasus Books). Originally published in French 2013 -- and translated by Sandra Smith -- this is a graphic retelling of the absurdist classic. What is most notable about their discussion is that the guys are coming at this book from different perspectives of awareness. Derek knows the work of Camus very well, while Gene had never read the original novella. This leads them to slightly different interpretations of the story events as revealed through Meursault's narration. And the guys' experiential differences also come through in their readings of the text's absurdist theme. Next, Gene and Derek look at Bryan Lee O'Malley and Leslie Hung's Snotgirl #1 (Image Comics). This is O'Malley's first monthly series, and the guys were expecting a lot from this title. While both appreciate Hung's art, they're not en

For the July webcomics episode, Sean and Derek discuss three titles that not only vary in content and genre, but are also different in the ways they are designed and consumed. They begin with two current and ongoing webcomics, Kenn Minter and Clarence Pruitt's Tales of the Emerald Yeti and Jim Francis's Outsider. The former is just one of the comics on the creators' publishing site, Near Mint Press. In fact, the Two Guys spend a bit of time discussing the presentation platform of this webcomic -- Minter and Pruitt use Google's free Blogger service -- pointing out that its navigation and consumption feels antiquated and isn't what they've usually come to expect from most webcomics. Nonetheless, Emerald Yeti is a fun pulp-infused read of post-Vietnam America that has the feel of an old Marvel serial of the 1970s. After that, Sean and Derek turn to Outsider, a webcomic that began back in October 2001, but whose updates are so infrequent as to make this a relatively young narrative. The guys mention that Francis

Derek is back at his local shop, Collected Comics and Games in Plano, TX, to talk with customers and shop employees about the comics they're reading. And for the month of July, the topic of conversation is summer reading. Many of the shop regulars are there, and store manager Sabrina and her associate, Stephanie, join in the discussion, as well. The conversation begins with DC Comics' Rebirth titles and how the quality of those stories are resonating with the gang (most of which are Marvel die-hards). That discussion leads to talk about the seemingly endless string of Big Two events and how even publishers such as IDW are seeing the need to create crossover events of their own. Other summer reading for the Collected gang includes How to Talk to Girls at Parties, Jade Street Protection Services, Bounty, Throwaways, Action Man, and Heathen (which was discussed in May's on-location episode). In addition, Sabrina also gives her take on some of the early releases she gets to read as shop manager -- e.g., Briggs La

It's the first of the month, and that must mean that it's time for the Two Guys with PhDs to take a deep dive into the latest Previews catalog. For the month of July, there's a lot for Andy and Derek to discuss. And in between speculations on solicitation-writing strategies and disagreements on how to pronounce "gyros," the guys pack as much as they can into this almost-two-hour episode. Among the many solicits they highlight are from publishers such as Dark Horse Comics - Resident Alien: The Man with No Name #1, Aleister & Adolf, Creatures of the Night, and Ranx DC/Vertigo - Doom Patrol #1, Everafter: From the Pages of Fables #1, and Frostbite #1 IDW Publishing/Top Shelf - Bloom County Episode XI: A New Hope, Crazy Is the New Normal, and The Return of the Zombies Image Comics - Seven to Eternity #1, Surgeon X #1, She Changed Comics, and Kill Six Billion Demons Book 1 Aardvark-Vanaheim - Cereus in Hell? #0 AfterShock - Alters #1 Ah! Comics - Moonshot: The Indigenous Comics Collection Vol. 1 Alte

For this interview show, Gwen and Derek talk with Benjamin Frisch about his new book from Top Shelf Productions, The Fun Family. In many ways, this is a parody of Bil and Jeff Keane's The Family Circus. The narrative concerns the family life of beloved cartoonist Robert Fun and chronicles the threads of domesticity as everything begins to unravel. Fun has a strip very much like Keane's, a family-oriented single-circular-panel daily, but Frisch doesn't demean the legendary newspaper strip or take it into obscene territory. However, there are dark places where Frisch travels, and that's much of the fun of this book. Both Gwen and Derek ask their guest about the genesis of his project, his history with newspaper dailies, and his recent experiences in the residency program, La Maison des Auteurs, in Angoulême, France. They also discuss Frisch's background in sound production and his own work in podcasting, specifically with Jessica Abel (a previous guest) and Out on the Wire. This experience with Benjamin Frisch

How do the Two Guys with PhDs celebrate America's Independence Day? Why, by using the July 4th holiday to launch their brand new monthly series devoted to European comics. That's right, similar to what the podcast already does with its monthly manga, webcomics, and young readers programs, The Comics Alternative now has a new series devoted to the discussion and appreciation of European works in translation. Cohosting this monthly effort with Derek will be Edward Gauvin (a prolific translator of bandes dessinées). The guys begin by describing their plans for the new Euro comics series and laying out a rough mission statement. At the same time, they acknowledge that the format of this endeavor can take shape as it grows, and they spend a good deal of time defining their terms. They decided to call the show "Euro Comics" since it best describes what they are attempting with the series. Other potential titles, such as "Global Comics," "Bandes Dessinées," and even "BD" are limiting in one way or another, and they

On this episode of the interview series, Andy and Derek talk with Rich Tommaso about his recent publications from Image Comics, She Wolf #1 and the trade collection of Dark Corridor. Both were released last week. The guys begin by trying to wrap their brains around She Wolf, a surreal lycanthrope narrative with a 1980s flair. Rich reveals that this is a planned four-issue arc, and that if the interest is there he has plans to continue and expand the story. He contrasts this publication strategy with that of his earlier series, Dark Corridor. That began as a more ambitious project with more of an ongoing storyline. But, due to the sales, he decided to wrap up the title sooner rather than later. In fact, Rich speculates that crime comics may not be a current interest with the comics-buying public, at least compared to horror and science fiction. He also suggests that autobiographical or slice-of-life comics -- as found in his earlier works, Let's Hit the Road and Pete and Miriam -- may not be his forte, and tha

This month Shea and Derek look at two tonally different works of manga. They begin with Yoshitoki Oima's series, A Silent Voice, the final (seventh) volume of which was released from Kodansha Comics at the end of May. It's the story of an elementary school bully, Shoya Ishida, and his attempts to atone for his past behavior after he enters high school. The object of his ridicule was Shoko Nishimiya, a deaf transfer student who was pulled out of her elementary school because of Shoya's insensitive mocking. Now teenagers, Shoyo and Shoko establish a relationship that is spottily therapeutic for both, and with the help of their former elementary school classmates with whom they reestablish contact. While the guys both enjoy this title, there are times when the narrative is worn a little thin. Derek feels that there is excessive emotional wallowing in places, and Shea is not thrilled with the series' quick ending. A completely different kind of manga is Rokudenashiko's What Is Obscenity?: The Story of a Good for

This week The Comics Alternative's blog editor, Paul Lai, joins Derek to discuss three recent titles. They begin with Bryan Doerries's The Odyssey of Sergeant Jack Brennan (Pantheon). Illustrated by a variety of artists -- Jess Ruliffson, Joëlle Jones, Justine Mara Andersen, Dylan Macon's, and Nick Bertozzi -- the book brings Homer's classic into contemporary contexts. On the eve of their return home from Afghanistan, Marine Corps sergeant Jack Brennan shares with his men the epic tale by applying it to their own lives as soldiers. Within this frame narrative, Doerries recounts Odysseus's various attempt to return home, each one illustrated by one of the book's diverse artists. Next, the Two Guys turn to a sobering narrative, Rebecca Roher's Bird in a Cage (Conundrum Press). This is an account of Roher's grandmother's dementia and resulting institutionalization, but even more so, it's the artist's memoir of her relationship with Grandma Wylie, as she is called, and the family that nurtured her. This is a mov

Andy and Derek are pleased to have as a guest on their show Bill Schelly. A new edition of his book, Otto Binder: The Life and Work of a Comic Book and Science Fiction Visionary, was released earlier this month from North Atlantic Books. The guys talk with Bill about the legendary writer's work on the Captain Marvel and the Marvel family, his impressive run on Superman titles, and his role in the early science fiction pulps (mostly under the name he used when collaborating with his brother, Earl, Eando Binder). As they point out in the conversation, there are facets to Binder's life that are overshadowed by his work on the Big Red Cheese, and Bill's book thoroughly chronicles the sides of Otto Binder that you may not have known. Examples of this would include Binder's work at EC Comics, his writing for Jim Warren's Creepy, his close ties to comics fandom, his attempts at becoming science magazine publisher, and his later-life research on UFOs. They also discuss the darker aspects of Binder's life and the chal

In the last of The Comics Alternative's four episodes created while at HeroesCon 2016, the Two Guys present a recording of panel discussion on which they participated, "The Comics Canon: Reloaded!!!! Fire!!!!" This event took place on the afternoon of Sunday, the last day of the convention, and it was organized and moderated by Andy Mansell. Others participating on the panel included Mark Englebrecht (from the Charlotte Mecklenburg Libraries), Craig Fisher (Appalachian State University), Tom Heintjes (Hogan's Alley), and Craig Yoe (Yoe! Books).  The discussants covered a lot of ground on the panel, so much so that the session lasted longer than its scheduled hour. Andy Mansell kept the conversation flowing, posing a series of questions regarding the formation, the benefits, and the liabilities of a comics canon, and there was healthy response from the audience.  A note about the sound quality of this recording: About 10 1/2 minutes into the panel recording, there is a slight break that cuts out around 30 se

While Andy and Derek were at HeroesCon last weekend, they talked briefly with a variety of creators in Artists Alley -- see last Tuesday's show for those conversations -- but they also had the chance to sit down for longer, more substantive interviews. And they made it a point to do so with Miss Lasko-Gross and Kevin Colden, the creators behind the new series from Z2 Comics, The Sweetness. The first issue has just been released, so the guys had the opportunity, thanks to Miss and Kevin, to read it and ask their guests about this unique title. Miss and Kevin describe The Sweetness as a mix between Star Wars and Breaking Bad, where a group of ex-cons and low-level criminals work for a UPS-like delivery service in space...but with a focus on badass women smugglers. Derek and Andy ask specifically about the two unlikely paired female protagonists, Nelly and Scout, but they also discuss their inept male companion Bachmaan, a curious character who Miss admits to not being able to kill off, especially given the way

This past weekend, Andy and Derek attended HeroesCon in Charlotte, NC, where they had a table in Artists Alley. On each of the three days of the event they recorded brief segments about their experiences at the con, the people they met, the panels they attended, and the comics they were able to find. So for this week's episode, you'll hear those recordings and get to experience the 2016 HeroesCon vicariously through the unique perspectives of the Two Guys with PhDs Talking about Comics. Among the many things discussed are the guys' encounters with creators in Artists Alley, Andy's attempts to sell his Harley Quinn- and Suicide Squad-related comics, the unexpected physical dangers of tabling at the con, Derek's spirited find of Will Eisner reprints, the travails of trying to sell branded merchandise when you're not an artist, old racist comic books, and cosplayers who really don't give a damn what people think. But, as with last year's event, the highlight of HeroesCon 2016 was meeting dedicated fans of The Co

In the first of four episodes created at this year's HeroesCon in Charlotte, NC, Andy and Derek talk with a variety of artists, writers, and editors. Well...Derek talked with everyone. By his own admission, Andy was a little lazy, sitting back and letting Derek do all of the work with the microphone. Regardless, the result is a series of brief interviews with diverse creators, some who have been on the podcast before (such as Andy Hirsch and Ryan Browne) and others whose work the guys have just discovered. On this episode you will hear conversations with Amanda Rachels about her work, Flesh of White Karla Pacheco on her book, Inspector Pancakes, and the art of naked titty pirate comics Andy Hirsch discussing Baker Street Peculiars and his upcoming book, Varmints Tom Neely and Keenan Marshall Keller about the future of their series, The Humans Magdelene Vasaggio on her new Black Mask series, Kim & Kim Tom Heinjes and Craig Yoe (who were tabling next to one another) about their recent Eisner Award n

This month, Gwen and Andy take listeners on a worldwide tour featuring adventures of various cultures in three books: Musnet: The Mouse of Monet by Kickliy (Uncivilized Books/Odod), Anne Szabla’s Bird Boy Volume 1: The Sword of Mali Mahi (Dark Horse Books), and Poppy! and the Lost Lagoon by Matt Kindt and Brian Hurtt (Dark Horse Books). Before they get to the books, Andy and Gwen both regret not being able to attend HeroesCon, but Gwen gives a brief (and very interesting) report from her recent experience at the Children’s Literature Association Conference in Columbus, Ohio. Who knows? Maybe the Two People with PhDs Talking about Comics for Young Readers will both be there next year? Gwen and Andy are always excited to see more comics translated into English, and Kickliy’s Musnet: The Mouse of Monet is now available in French and English editions. Both enjoyed the leisurely storytelling and the wonderful use of color in this story of a mouse named Mus who longs to paint like a master artist. This first volu