Comics Alternative

It's a semi-tradition that when the Eisner Award nominations are announced, Derek and Andy are there to discuss them. So on this special episode of The Comics Alternative, the guys get together to deliberate over this year's nominees, what kind of patterns they discern, and what surprise choices there may be. Joining them on the show is noted comics journalist and former Eisner Award-winner, Tom Spurgeon. Together they look over the list of nominees that was released just last week and try to figure out what is going on with the choices. They begin by looking at the bigger picture, giving their takes on any possible direction or pattern coming from this year's judges. Both Andy and Derek comment on the fact that both DC and Marvel -- and mainstream superhero comics, in particular -- seem to be getting slightly more love than they have in recent years, with properties such as Ms. Marvel, Rocket Raccoon, Grant Morrison's Multiversity, and various Batman and Spider-Man titles getting the nod. Tom is pleased with

Beginning in April, The Comics Alternative will be presenting a new monthly show devoted exclusively to manga. Derek will be joined by Shea Hennum, a manga aficionado and longtime friend of the podcast, to discuss both new and older titles. In this inaugural episode, Shea and Derek begin by laying out their agenda and describing the format of the show. Around the last half of every month, they will discuss two manga titles, one of which will in some way be new. (The guys define "new" as a first-time publication, a new translation, an updated edition of an older volume, or a new collection of previously published individual volumes.) This month, Derek and Shea discuss Junji Ito's Gyo -- which is seeing brand new 2-in-1 deluxe edition from VIZ Media  -- and Satoshi Kon's Opus, which came out a few months ago from Dark Horse. Before they get to the titles, though, the guys first define what they mean by "manga," contextualizing it as both a medium and a style. They also address common and essentializing misconce

Occasionally, Derek and Andy like to devote an episode to a particular publisher, looking at the recent or seasonal releases and providing a snapshot of the kind of books they publish. So for this week, the Two Guys discuss the spring publications from Koyama Press, a Toronto-based small press founded in 2007 by Annie Koyama. This is a publisher that the guys deeply appreciate but have discussed little on the show. (They reviewed Renee French's Baby Bjornstrand in November of last year, and there have been a few reviews of Koyama books on the blog.) The conversation begins with Alex Schubert's Blobby Boys 2, a minimalist collection of stories with a punk aesthetic and a great sense of humor. This is a follow up to the first Blobby Boys book, which came out in fall of 2013. The guys discuss the book's wild and violent comedy, and while they enjoy the strips devoted to the titular characters, they particularly like the two stories focusing on Fashion Cat, a hip, powerful, yet ill-fated celebrity of the fashion

On this episode of the interview show, Derek and Gene talk with the strange minds behind the even stranger title, Punks: The Comic, Joshua Hale Fialkov and Kody Chamberlain. Their first trade collection, Punks: The Comic, Vol. 1: Nutpuncher, has just come out this month from Image Comics, and Josh and Kody are ready to spill the beans about their secrets to humorous success. They talk with the guys about the genesis of Punks, how they come up with story ideas, their collaborative process, and the possible future of the title. If you're familiar with this comic, you know all about its offbeat humor, its non sequitur sensibilities, and its resistance to formula. Gene and Derek have the same kind of experience talking with the creators, demonstrating that the title's humor comes from a idiosyncratic wellspring. Both Kody and Josh are entertainingly funny, and Punks is their weird labor of love...complete with cross-stitched Lincoln patters, Sean Connory-infested holidays, do-it-yourself awesome red ties, violent

Craig Yoe is back for his fourth interview appearance on The Comics Alternative, and this time he has two wacky new books to share with everyone, both from IDW Publishing and Yoe! Books. First, he talks with Derek and Andy about Milt Gross' New York, a "lost" graphic novel that was originally published in 1939 to capitalize on that year's New York World's Fair. Copies of the original paperback are very difficult to find, but Craig was able to get his hands on one -- thanks to eBay -- and then work his wonders in what he does best: restoring and reproducing in beautiful editions classic, often obscure, comics from our past. The result is a sturdy hardback volume that showcases the wild and breakneck style of Milt Gross. Originally published by Bystander Press and titled That's My Pop! Goes Nuts for Fair: A Cartoon Tour of New York, it features Gross's famous (at the time) character Pop, a proto-Homer Simpson, and his admiring son as they tour New York City, it's neighborhoods, its nightlife, its culture, its f

On this episode of the podcast, Andy and Derek discuss two thought-provoking books that challenge the way we look at sequential narratives. First, they explore François Schuiten and Benoît Peeters's The Leaning Girl, the first edition of the Franco-Belgian series, Les Cités obscures, currently being translated and published in English by Alaxis Press. The guys begin by giving a little background of The Obscure Cities, its spotty publication history in the US, and Alaxis Press' attempts to bring all eleven volumes of the series into print with new translations. The Leaning Girl is actually the sixth book in the series, although readers do not need any knowledge or experience with the earlier works in order to appreciate it. In fact, the guys emphasize the fact that The Leaning Girl easily stands (or leans) on its own, and its immersive narrative world, as fantastic as it is, effectively draws you in so that you quickly become acquainted with its many facets. There are three story threads that eventually tie to

Derek is back at his local comic book shop, Collected Comics and Games in Plano, TX, and this month he's talking with customers and employees about returns. This is not about customers being unhappy with their purchases and then coming back into the shop to demand their money back. By "returns," Derek is referring to the various titles, characters, and events that are making reappearances after years of silence or of being out of currency. This is an appropriate topic because over the past year there have been a number of works that have come back or that have been reassertion themselves in new forms. For example, they get the conversation going, surprisingly enough, with a discussion of Bob Fingerman's Minimum Wage, which came back through Image Comics last year. The people who were there to talk with Derek -- Krystle, Shea, Craig, Matthew, and Michael -- were divided on this title, with some appreciating it, some not liking it, and one or two not even knowing what it is. But the conversation soon turns to m

This week Derek and Andy discuss three recent titles, each of which is part of a larger series. First, they review the third in Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill's Nemo trilogy, Nemo: River of Ghosts (Top Shelf). The guys begin their discussion by looking at the series as a whole -- even placing the trilogy within the larger context of Moore's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen universe -- and then exploring the accessibility of the text as a singular narrative. River of Ghosts certainly needs to stand alongside the first two Nemo volumes, Heart of Ice and The Roses of Berlin, but the intertextual demands imbedded in the story (and in the Nemo trilogy as a whole) are far fewer than they are in the League books. Indeed, the three-part story of Janni Dakkar, beginning in 1925 (in Heart of Ice) and wrapping up in 1987, where River of Ghosts concludes, reads more as an adventure tale to be enjoyed than as a literary text to be deciphered. Yet, the Nemo trilogy is still part of Moore's larger narrative tapestry, and its

At last weekend's Sumter Comic Arts Symposium, Andy sat down with Tim Seeley in front of a live con audience and talked with him about his various comics, including Grayson, Batman Eternal, Effigy, Revival, and Sundowners. Along with Ray Fawkes (not part of this interview), Tim was one of the special guests at this first-ever Sumter event, which is described on the Sumter county's website as “an event like no other. This fun-filled event celebrates some of the most exciting and innovative creators working in comics and graphic novels today. From colorful cosplayers, once-in-a-lifetime Q and A panels, to exhibitions highlighting comics-inspired artworks along with prized original comic art from local collectors and emerging comic artists, the Sumter Comic Arts Symposium is sure to be the highlight of the Spring season.” Tim has been on The Comics Alternative twice before, back in November 2012 soon after Revival began, and then September of last year to talk about Grayson and Sundowners. He now joins the proud

Derek and Andy W. are back for another of their monthly webcomics episodes, and for April they discuss three exciting titles, two currently ongoing webcomics and one completed series. They begin with Kristen Gudsnuk's Henchgirl, the story of a young villain trying to find her way (and her fortune) in a world of super-powered crime. However, her heart and her relationships keep getting in the way, making her a unlikely and often-torn protagonist. As the Two Guys point out, this is more of a relationship-based story than a superhero one, and Gudsnuk is adept at showing the unglamorous and untold side of villainy. Manga-influenced and reminiscent of the style and tone of Scott Pilgrim, Henchgirl is probably a story aimed at a younger (Millennial?) readership, but it's humor and playfulness can be enjoyed by all. Next, the guys, not intending to be alliterative this month, discuss another H-heavy webcomic. Huge Hana is a relatively recent title created by Ian Burns, with a first installment posted on December 30,

On this episode of the podcast, Andy and Derek review three new titles, each of which is a brief glimpse into a facet of our diverse comics culture. They begin by looking at the new book from Darryl Cunningham, The Age of Selfishness: Ayn Rand, Morality, and the Financial Crisis (Abrams ComicArs). This work is an extended essay focusing on the life and philosophy of Rand, the contribution of her ideas to the 2008 financial crisis, and a general discussion on growing libertarian selfishness of Western culture. In fact, the book is divided into three parts, each of which is devoted to one of these three components. The guys discuss Cunningham's structural approach when presenting his arguments. Andy feels that the three parts work fairly well together, although Derek isn't as convinced that the book as a whole has the appropriate balance. For examples, the references to Rand's philosophy in the second part of the book, "The Crash," are sporadic and could have been more deeply ingrained. As a result, the transit

On this episode of the interview show, Derek talks with Charles Soule about his most recent creator-own works, specifically Strange Attractors (Archaia) and the currently ongoing Letter 44 (Oni Press). They spend most of their time discussing the latter and the various narrative threads and subplots interwoven within the series. In their conversation, Charles tells Derek about the extent of his research for the title, his love of NASA history, the intrigue of writing political drama, and the ways in which his background in law helped give birth to series' premise.  They also discuss the contemporary rootedness of Letter 44 and the extent to which recent presidential history plays out in its storyline, albeit ramped up and taken to speculative extremes. Much of the conversation is also devoted to Strange Attractors, a book similar to Letter 44 with a high concept and a keen scientific bent. Charles explains how his interest in complexity theory and his love of New York City combine to create an unlikely sci-fi

It's the first of the month, so that means that Andy and Derek flip through the latest Previews catalog and share some of the upcoming releases they are most excited about. And April is jam-packed with solicits worth highlighting...which is one of the reasons why this week's episode is extra long. After sharing a bit of listener mail -- and it's always great to get letters, so keep those correspondences a-comin'! -- the guys jump into this month's offerings, beginning where they usually do with Dark Horse Comics. There they find intriguing titles such as Black Hammer #1, Bowery Boys: Our Fathers, Nanjing: The Burning City, and The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service Omnibus, Book 1. After a brief conversational detour about DC's Convergence event and the controversy surrounding Rafael Albuquerque's variant cover for Batgirl #41, the Two Guys highlight Will Eisner's The Spirit: A Celebration of 75 Years and the final issue of Fables (pulling double duty as issue #150 and volume 22 of the trade paperbacks), both f

The Two Guys with PhDs are glad to have on their show Noah Van Sciver, the creator behind the series Blammo as well as the recently published Saint Cole (Fantagraphics). The guys talk with Noah about the genesis of Saint Cole and how this became his follow-up graphic novel to The Hypo: The Melancholic Young Lincoln. For that matter, they're even more curious to know why the artist chose our depressive sixteen president as his first long-form focus. While historical narratives aren't unusual for Noah -- he addresses the great 1863 Denver fire in his comic, A City of Whiskey and Fire (with Daniel Landes) -- he's quick to point out that he's not a historically based cartoonist, as, for example, you might find in someone like Rick Geary. In fact, Noah tells Derek and Andy that he resists any kind of pigeonholing, even bristling at any attempts to place his work in the company of Robert Crumb or Chester Brown. He prefers to be a chameleon, changing up his subject matter at will, much like Leonard Zelig does in Zel

This week, Derek and Andy W. discuss recent titles that span the genre spectrum. First they look at the new release from Dark Horse, the English-language release of Claudio Nizzi and Joe Kubert's Tex the Lonesome Rider. Based on the famous American Western character created in 1948 by Giovanni Luigi Bonelli, this book was originally released in Italian and is now being published in the states in a beautiful hardbound volume. (Dark Horse had released the first part of this story in 2005 as Four Killers, Vol. 1: The Bartlett Brothers, and that same year SAF Comics published the entire story in English, but those books are long out of print.) The guys approach Nizzi's treatment of Tex Willer as a classic Western, but one that isn't afraid to delve into the darker, violent side of the genre. In fact, Andy argues that much of the story, underscored by Kubert's art, owes a debt to noir narrative, and that one could arguably read this as Western noir. Although Tex is a famous figure in Italian comics, he is much les

For this episode of The Comics Alternative Interviews, Derek and Andy W. are pleased to have as their guest the man behind Hicksville, Dylan Horrocks. His new book, Sam Zabel and the Magic Pen, has recently been released by Fantagraphics, and on the show the guys talk with Dylan about his experiences writing the book and the philosophy underlying its creation. They begin by discussing its initial black-and-white serialization in Atlas (which lasted for only three issues between 2001 and 2006), and then was slowly released in color as an online comic beginning in early 2009. Indeed, as of the time of this interview, Dylan is still publishing the final pages of Sam Zabel on his website, so that the entire story will eventually be available digitally. However, readers will want to get the new hardbound copy in order to experience a full story immersion with its larger size format and its richness of color. The guys also ask Dylan about the narrative links between the new book and his other stories, most notably

On this week's episode of The Comics Alternative, Andy and Derek discuss three exciting new titles. The first is the latest volume of the Hernandez brothers' Love and Rockets: New Stories (Fantagraphics). It's alway a fun show when the guys get to discuss works by Jaime and/or Gilbert, and they're certainly in their element delving into the twists and intricacies of the Hernandez's narrative worlds. There's a lot to highlight in this Love and Rockets, but there are two matters that are particularly noteworthy. First, most of Jaime's contributions revolve around triangle of Maggie, Ray, and Hopey. As the Two Guys point out, readers weren't sure what to expect after the 2011 volume of the series, when Jaime wrapped up the "Love Bunglers" storyline. That narrative had a feeling of finality, almost as if the saga of Ray and Maggie was coming to some sort of conclusion. (There was a tiny glimpse of the characters in 2012's Love and Rockets: New Stories, No. 5, but that was more postscript than anything.) But in th

On this interview show, Andy and Derek are happy to talk with Kyle Starks, the man behind the new book from Image, Sexcastle. The guys speak with Kyle about the book's origins as a successful Kickstarter campaign last year, how it captured the attention of the folks at Image Comics -- thanks to Matt Fraction -- and the vast support the book has been receiving from the creative community. Sexcastle is an homage to 1980s action movies complete with no-holds-barred fighting, monster trucks, egomaniacal villains, explosions, assassins, nunchucks, as well as a fair share of animals thrown in for good measure (such as a polar bear, a pooping peacock, and an evil cat). It is also the story of redemption, as the narrative's protagonist, Shane Sexcastle, attempts to leave behind his past life as a master assassin and find peace as humble florist. The Two Guys also talk with Kyle about his previous Kickstarter campaign, Legend of Ricky Thunder, as well as some of other earlier projects, including Punch Captain, Adventu

As he does every month, Derek is back at his local shop, Collected Comics and Games in Plano, TX, to talk with customers and employees about what they are reading. For March, the topic is open and with no particular theme, so anything goes. And anything does go when Derek sits down with Shea Hennum, a long-time contributor to The Comics Alternative and, actually, the only customer who turned up to talk at the shop that evening. (For some reason, it was a very slow night at the store, for employees and customers alike.) The two guys cover a wide variety of topics, but they spend a little over half of their time discussing Scott McCloud's The Sculptor (First Second). It begins when Derek asks Shea about a recent review he wrote for Paste magazine, something that Andy alluded to in the last episode of the podcast. Shea was quite critical of McCloud's new graphic novel, and Derek wanted to  know why, and so for over thirty minutes the guys go back-and-forth over the contexts and merits of The Sculptor. In some wa

The Two Guys with PhDs are back with another review episode, and on this one they explore three fascinating titles. They begin by discussing the much-anticipated recent release from Scott McCloud, The Sculptor (First Second). In fact, Derek and Andy begin their conversation with the very fact that this was a much-anticipated, and heavily reviewed, new book, and how all of that attention may be affecting the book's reception. They speculate on the ways in which the artist's prestige and reputation feeds into the expectations. Although McCloud has created memorable narratives -- e.g., the Zot! series and The New Adventures of Abraham Lincoln -- this is an author most famously known for Understanding Comics and the expository/instructional books that followed, Reinventing Comics and Making Comics. The guys question if the author can ever get beyond his reputation as primarily a theoretician of the medium, and if he can ever gain renewed recognition as a creator of innovative narrative forms. And both Derek and A