Comics Alternative

On this special episode of The Comics Alternative, the Two Guys with PhDs wrap up Will Eisner Week by featuring a recording of an event that took place on Saturday, March 7, at Collected Comics and Games's Keller location. The title of the panel was "The Relevance of Graphic Novels in Culture and Modern Education," and speaking on it were Derek, Matthew Kolman of the Forth Worth Public Library, and Christopher Kilgore of the University of Texas at Arlington. All three shared their experiences using comics for educational purposes and discussed the many facets of their presentational potential. Along the way, they covered such issues as strategies for visual learning, labeling and categorization -- e.g., how useful of a term is "graphic novel," anyway? -- comics and literacy, the presence of a de facto graphic novel canon, reader maturity and visual explicitness, the place of seriality and cartoon one-shots, and the various forms in which comics are published. The audience members asked a variety of challengin

The Two Guys with PhDs continue their valiant attempt to bring you monthly shows devoted to quality, substantive discussion of webcomics. In this March episode, Derek and Andy W. focus on three distinctive titles, two currently ongoing and one completed webcomic. They begin by looking at S.D. Lockhart and Patibut Narm Preeyawongsakul's Star Punch Girl (and Derek deeply apologizes for butchering Preeyawongsakul's name). This is a different kind of webcomic that has a heavy manga and video gaming influence. This title began in April 2013, and so far the creators have completed the first two chapters. The first establishes the narrative with a creation myth, the titular character forming our world and then protecting it from nefarious forces. In the second chapter Star Punch Girl is invited to Earth and is honored by its worshipful inhabitants. Preeyawongsakul's colors are vibrant and the standout feature of this webcomic. The guys also discuss this series' apparent fan base, believing that it comprises mainly a

It’s the beginning of the month, and that means that the Two Guys with PhDs Talking about Comics take a metaphorical stroll through the latest Previews catalog. And this month, their peregrinations are more than casual; this is more like a power walk. The March Previews contains a hefty series of solicitations that make for an extra-long episode, almost leaving the guys feeling like they’ve completed a marathon. Among the many upcoming titles that Derek and Andy highlight are Fight Club 2 #1, Harrow County #1, and High Crimes (from Dark Horse Comics); You Don’t Say, Little Nemo: Return to Slumberland, and Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency #1 (IDW Publications); the usual slew of #1 issues from Image Comics such as Injection, Mythic, Material, Valhalla Mad, and Minimum Wage: So Many Bad Decisions; Russian Olive to Red King (AdHouse Books); a variety of books from and distributed through Alternative Comics, such as Irene Vol. 4, It Will All Hurt #1, Island of Memory Vol. 1, The Secret Voice #2, and Smilin

On this special episode of The Comics Alternative, Andy and Derek kick off Will Eisner Week by having as their guests on the show Denis Kitchen and Michael Schumacher. Denis is an underground comix legend as well the force behind Kitchen Sink Press, and he was a close friend, business associate, and former publisher of Eisner. Michael is an author whose biography, Will Eisner: A Dreamer's Life in Comics, was released by Bloomsbury in 2010. The Two Guys talk with them about the comics of Will Eisner, the artist's impact and innovations, and the person behind the legend. They discuss with Denis his recollections of his relationship with Eisner, explore the impact of the underground comix movement on the artist's career, and hear anecdotes about Eisner's aesthetic philosophy and business practices. Derek and Andy also talk with Michael about his experiences researching Eisner, his papers, and former associates, and they learn about his efforts in chronicling Eisner's life. The result is an engaging conversation

On this week’s podcast, the Two Guys with PhDs take on a gargantuan task: they review ten different #1 issues from a variety of publishers. First they look at several debuts from Image Comics, including Bryan Hill, Matt Hawkins, and Isaac Goodhart’s Postal; Jimmie Robinson’s The Empty; Brian Joines, Jay Faerber, and Ilias Kyriazis’s Secret Identities; and Ben Acker, Ben Blacker, and J. Bone’s Sparks Nevada: Marshall on Mars. After those they discuss three new titles from Dark Horse Comics, such as Richard Corben’s Rat God, Rafael Albuquerque and Mike Johnson’s Ei8ht, and Dean Motter’s Mister X: Razed. And then they wrap up with two #1 issues from BOOM! Studios/Archaia — Swifty Lang and Skuds McKinley’s Plunder, and Ed Brisson and Damian Couceiro’s Cluster — and finally Ryan Ferrier and Valentin Ramon’s D4ve from IDW Publishing. Almost all of these new titles are worth checking out, with enthusiastic recommendations going to Cluster, Secret Identities, and especially the clever and comedic D4ve (perhaps the be

Derek is back at Collected Comics and Games in Plano, TX, and this month he and the customers are discussing ethnoracial issues as they relate to comics. Since this is Black History Month, the guys thought that they'd take the opportunity to look at a few African American comics (however you choose to define that term) and how race  and diversity has become part of the comics' historical tapestry. They mention a variety of specific titles -- Craig came prepared with his copies of The Harlem Hellfighters, March: Book One, and the collection Strange Fruit -- several key creators, such as Kyle Baker and Ho Che Anderson, and the attempts (at times pathetic) of mainstream publishers to diversify their titles' rosters. Derek and the guys also spend a good deal of time talking about broader ethnic issues in comics, including stereotyping, the responsibilities of representation, and author subject position. The result is an all-too-brief, tip-of-the-iceberg effort to address one of the medium's most complicated (and

This week on the podcast, Derek and Andy discuss three new titles. They begin by looking at the second book in John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell's March trilogy. Although the first volume from fall 2013 was a powerful debut, March: Book Two (Top Shelf Productions) is a decidedly more gripping work. There is more action and drama in this book -- and not only conflict between the protesters and the Southern white community, but perhaps more pointedly, conflict within the nonviolent movement's ranks -- than there was in the initial one. What's more, this is a much more emotionally charged work, in that readers are taken to the front lines of the Civil Rights Movement and Lewis's encounters with senseless beatings, attack dogs, firehoses, and bombings. The guys note that for younger readers, or those unfamiliar with mid-century American history, this book may be a bit of a shock -- or a wake-up call -- in that it paints a very different, starker picture of race relations in this country than experienced t

On this interview episode, Andy and Derek are pleased to have as their guest Arlen Schumer. His book, The Silver Age of Comic Book Art, has recently been released in a beautiful, new revised edition from Archway Publishing. It originally came out in 2003 as a softcover, with a hardbound companion that included an extra section, but in this revised edition Schumer includes all the material from the longer hardbound release, but with brighter images and cleaner type. The result is a unique visual experience, a text on comics art history in the form of a coffee table book. As the guys point out in their discussion, this is the kind of book that every comics aficionado will want to get, and the perfect gift for anyone unfamiliar with the medium but interested in the many forms of American art. The Two Guys kick off the conversation by asking Arlen how he defines the Silver Age, and he argues that while everyone can agree that it began in 1956 with the publication of Showcase #4, the era ended in 1970, a watershed

This week on the podcast, Derek and Andy discuss beginnings, endings, and renewals. They start with the latter, looking at the first in a projected twelve-volume Hugo Pratt collection from IDW/EuroComics, Corto Maltese: Under the Sign of Capricorn. This is a brand new English edition — translated by Dean Mullaney and Simone Castaldi — and presented in the original black-and-white. (The previous translated version of a Corto Maltese edition, 2012’s The Ballad of the Salt Sea, from Universe Publishing, was colorized.) It’s also published in a European album-sized format, roughly 11 1/2 x 9 1/2″, so that the reader can experience the clean, full radiance of Pratt’s art. Although they’ve read a little of Pratt’s work in the past, this is the guys’ first real introduction to Corto Maltese, at least in terms of full storylines. They spend a lot of time focusing on the narratives in this new volume, noting that the first three chapters form a cohesive and ongoing story, with the final three chapters — especially the

In this on-location episode, Derek is at the Dallas Comic Con for this year’s “Fan Days” event, which was held at the Irving Convention Center. There he was able to talk with several creators, including Joe Eisma (of Morning Glories fame), Michael Lark (Lazarus, The Scene of the Crime), Elizabeth Breitweiser (Fatale, The Fade Out, Outcast) and Mitch Breitweiser (Captain America, Immortal Iron Fist), Nick Pitarra (Manhattan Projects), and Cal Slayton (Shades of Blue, Digital Webbing Presents). This was a smaller event than other Dallas Comic Cons, and there was a smaller Artists’ Alley than they’ve had in the past. But what the con lacked in artist numbers, the creators definitely made up for in fun and substantive conversation.

Andy and Derek are happy to have on the podcast the multifaceted Jim Rugg, whose new printing of Street Angel (created with Brian Maruca) was just released by AdHouse. The guys talk with Jim about the significance of the new printing -- a colorful discussion -- as well as the book's protagonist Jesse Sanchez, an "orphan of the streets and skateboarding daughter of justice" who "fights a never ending battle against the forces of evil, nepotism, ninjas, and hunger." The artist discusses the title's early days at Slave Labor Graphics as a serial and its final issue as the launching pad for another Rugg/Maruca creation, Alan "Afrodisiac" Driesler, the mysterious, irresistible, smooth dark chocolate brother of the streets who fights to protect his turf and his ladies. And of course, it's inevitable that the guys get into a discussion of 1970s culture and comics, including kung fu, TV cop shows, blaxploitation films, and Big Jim action figures. Derek and Andy also talk with Jim about his work on other titles, inclu

Welcome to February, faithful listeners! And just as day follows night, every new month brings another opportunity for the Two Guys with PhDs (Talking about Comics) to discuss the latest solicits in the Previews catalog. As you might expect, Andy and Derek find a lot to discuss in the new Previews, highlighting upcoming titles from premiere publishers, smaller presses, and a few outlets you may not have even heard of. For example, they discuss future releases from Dark Horse Comics (Brian Wood and Andrea Mutti's Rebels, Gilbert Hernandez's Grip: The Strange World of Men, and the latest volume of Eiji Otsuka and Housui Yamasaki's The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service), DC/Vertigo (their latest anthology, Vertigo Quarterly: SFX #1), IDW Publishing (the second volume in their new Corto Maltese reprint series, as well as IDW's new Disney comics initiative), Image Comics (new series such as Chip Zdarsky and Kagan McLeod's Kaptara, Alexi De Campi and Carla Speed McNeil's No Mercy, and Kurtis J. Wieebe and Johnnie Ch

It's new month, so that means it's time for another episode of The Comics Alternative Webcomics. For February Derek and Andy W. discuss two current ongoing webcomics and one completed title. First, they look at K. C. Green and Anthony Clark's Back, a western/fantasy story about the end of the world, or as the website describes it, "Not post apocalyptic, just the end of it all." This is a relatively new webcomic -- with only a short prologue and what appears to be the completed first chapter -- so the guys are really getting in on the ground floor with this one. They discuss the cartoony or iconic art style, which adds to the all-age flavor of the story, while at the same time commenting on the weighty philosophical themes the authors seem to be juggling: fate, destiny, and free will. There is also a lot of action and humor that will resonate with readers young and old. The only downside to this title -- if you want to call it a "downside" -- is that it's only updated once a week, every Wednesday, and this is

On this latest episode of The Comics Alternative Interviews, Derek talks with Steve Bryant, the creator of Athena Voltaire. His latest collection, Athena Voltaire Compendium, was just released from Dark Horse Books and Sequential Pulp Comics. They begin their conversation by discussing the evolution of Athena Voltaire, how it began as a collaborative webcomic, eventually finding its way into a brief print run (via Speakeasy Comics and Ape Entertainment), turning into a successful Kickstarter campaign, ultimately resulting in a nice hardbound collection of five stories. Derek asks Steve about the ideas behind the character of Athena Voltaire, and he learns that not only did Spielberg’s Raiders of the Lost Ark serve as part of the titles’s inspiration, but so did Dave Steven’s Rocketeer as well as a broader, deep love for 1930s/1940s era pulp fiction. Steve shares the process behind the creation of the new Compendium, his passion for world building, work on the promised followup Athena Voltaire and the Volcano

This week on the podcast, Derek and Andy W. review three new titles guaranteed to make you hyperventilate with excitement...so breathe deep and take in the good, comicy vapors. And speaking of which, they begin by discussing the new book by Spanish creator Max, Vapor (Fantagraphics). They start with a brief context on Max, whose past books include The Extended Dream of Mr. D. and Bardin the Superrealist. His latest work is just as surreal and dreamlike as the earlier ones, and the guys have a good time exploring the possible meanings embedded in the narrative. Next they turn to the new miniseries written and drawn by Jorge Corona, Feathers (Archaia/BOOM! Studios). In this inaugural issue we have a perfect mix of setup, teaser, and substantive storytelling. Andy and Derek focus on the detailed groundwork that Corona lays out in his story, one that is clearly intended for an all-age readership. Finally, the guys turn their attention to the latest creator-owned property from the ever-prolific Jonathan Hickman, T

For this episode of The Comics Alternative Interviews, Derek and Andy W. talk with Ian Edginton, the creator (along with D'Israeli) behind the recently re-released Kingdom of the Wicked (Titan Comics). The guys talk with Ian about the contexts surrounding this new edition of the book, his working relationship with D'Israeli (AKA Matt Brooker), and the various changes that the Titan edition brings. They go on to ask Ian about his penchant for world building, clearly evident in Kingdom of the Wicked, but even more prominent in two of his most recent projects, the Vertigo series Hinterkind (along with Francesco Trifogli) and his 2000 AD saga with I.N.J. Culbard, Brass Sun. Ian also discusses the story behind his adaptation of H.G. Wells's The War of the Worlds, and his original "sequels" to that classic, Scarlet Traces and The Great Game; his Sherlock Holmes adaptations with I.N.J. Culbard; and his work on a variety of other titles including Doctor Who, Judge Dredd, and Terminator. There's a lot packed into this

On this episode of their interview show, Derek and Andy are happy to have as they guest Miss Lasko-Gross, whose new book, Henni (Z2 Comics), has been getting a lot of press. They begin by asking her about all of the attention her graphic novel is receiving, especially in light of the recent Charlie Hebdo tragedy. She tells the guys that while the message of her book is rather timely, she wrote it as a broader, more allegorical narrative, one that addresses intolerance and oppression in a variety of forms. As Miss points out, our culture and those of others are unfortunately never in short supply of narrow-mindedness, a condition for which Henni can be an going reminder. The guys also ask her about her creative process, the narrative catalyst of drawing, and the role of scripting in her longer-form comics. Her art-driven style gives Henni a more deliberate, measured pacing, allowing the narrative more time to breathe. Andy and Derek also ask her about her earlier semi-autobiographical books, Escape from "Speci

This week the Two Guys discuss three very different new titles. First, they look at Harvey Kurtzman's Jungle Book, another collaboration between Dark Horse Books and Kitchen Sink Books (an earlier such publication, The Best of Comix Book, was discussed last may). What's more, this is the first volume in the publishers' new Essential Kurtzman library. Andy and Derek begin by mentioning that neither of them had read Jungle Book before, although it has been on both of their radars, so they come to this volume as new contemporary readers. And that's one of the first things the guys discuss: the datedness of the stories. Originally published in 1959, Jungle Book comprises four shorter pieces, and in about all of them Kurtzman has embedded cultural references specific to the times. This is not necessarily an obstacle to enjoying the text, but both Derek and Andy appreciated this volume more as a cultural and historical artifact than they did a cohesive work of comics art. Kurtzman's original stories are accompanied

The guys are pleased to have on their podcast the great Brian K. Vaughan. And for this conversation, Derek and Andy K. are joined by Andy Wolverton, who actually secured this interview for the show through his library connections. The guys begin by asking Brian about his thematic ambitions in Saga, and the discussion evolves from there. Over the course of their conversation, they ask their guest about the origins of the award-winning series, his melding of the sci-fi and fantasy genres, the challenges of juggling more than one ongoing title at a time, the stories behind the artists he chooses to work with, the pay-what-you-will philosophy behind The Private Eye, the future of Panel Syndicate, his loyal (and enthusiastic) fan base, the ever-evolving nature of comic conventions, and (as much as Brian can reveal) his new series that were recently announced at the Image Expo. Along the way they discuss not only his current titles, but also Brian's ever-popular Y: The Last Man, Ex Machina, Swamp Thing, The Runaway

It's a new month -- and a new year! -- so Derek is back at his local shop, Collected in Plano, for another on-location episode of the podcast. This time he's joined by Collected regulars Shea, Nick, Matt, and Craig, and the discussion topic is "Comics in the New Year." Everyone brings up the various titles, events, and pop cultural phenomenon they are looking forward to in 2015. For some, it is the wrap up of currently ongoing series and storylines, particularly Fables and Spider-Verse; the occasion of a crossover event, such as Marvel's new Secret Wars or DC's Convergence (although there doesn't seem to be a lot of love for DC at this gathering); the publication of eagerly awaited graphic novels and trade collections (e.g., Harlan Ellison's City on the Edge of Forever and Scott McCloud's The Sculptor); announcements of brand new series; comics that were held over from 2014, such as Pascin and the latest volume of Love and Rockets: New Stories; and the new movies and television shows surrounding comics cultur