#816 Chester Brown interview: “Paying for It,” the movie

Chester Brown’s work has come up on this show a number of times over the years. We’ve discussed Ed the Happy Clown, Louis Riel, and Paying for It. He’s actually published 10 graphic novels since 1989, some of which are collections of his comics series. In connection with the recent premiere of the movie version of Paying for It at the Toronto International Film Festival, our own Koom got a chance to interview Brown for this week’s show!

Check out Koom’s novel, Killing Shakespeare

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#593 “Reading ‘Nancy’”, plus “Cat and Mouse”!

How to Read Nancy

FLASHBACK! A comic strip gag can be a deceptively simple thing. Once you take it apart — “deconstruct” it, one might say — you find that it actually has many moving parts.

Click to enlarge

Paul Karasik and Mark Newgarden‘s How to Read “Nancy” takes a close look at each of those parts — as well as arguing persuasively for Bushmiller’s underrated artistic chops, and giving us some comic-strip history as well. Tim and Patrick review.

Cat and Mouse

PLUS: Roland Mann, Dean Zachary, and Kevin Gallegly join Tim to talk about the return of Cat and Mouse! (Originally published May 21, 2018.)

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Critiquing Comics #239: “Let’s Go, Coco” and “Digital Bardos”

Let's Go, Coco and Digital Bardos

What does an 11-year-old do when her “only friend” moves away? In Coco Fox’s “sorta” memoir Let’s Go, Coco, she joins the basketball team. But when you’re a pre-teen, everything’s fraught with challenges. Tim and Adam discuss this book – aimed at middle schoolers, but recommended for all ages.

As far from that world as possible is the first issue of King Klaus’ Digital Bardos (now live on Kickstarter). It introduces us to Darren — make that “All-Mighty Darren,” a digital god. The issue begins to answer the question of how he got that way. Tim and Jason critique.

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#338 Everything’s Archie!

Veronica, Archie, Betty

FLASHBACK! It’s been more than 70 years now since the debut of Archie comics, featuring (though not quite from the beginning) America’s favorite love triangle of Archie, Veronica, and Betty. Along with Jughead, Reggie, and the rest of the gang, these characters keep us coming back for more, changing with the times while still presenting an idealized America where drugs, booze, and sex seem not to exist. This week Tim talks with Archie ubercollector (and Coliseum of Comics Back Issue Manager) Jack Copley about what keeps Archie interesting, some of his favorite stories and creators, and “The Archie Room”! (Originally published November 12, 2012.)

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#815 Jack Kirby’s “Eternals”, #9-12: Judging books by their covers

Eternals 9-12

Eternals are only human, I guess! In Eternals issues 9-12, many of the Eternals exhibit a segregationist attitude toward the Deviants, and just about everybody assumes Karkas is going to kick the Reject‘s butt in a fight based solely on how they look. Meanwhile, are the Celestials kind, or sadistic? Tim and Emmet discuss Jack Kirby‘s statements on prejudice, as well as a shocking turn of events for a group of Soviet generals, pioneering the concept of dozens of superpowered beings in costumes all hanging out together, and… exclamation points!

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#134 “The R. Crumb Handbook”

Crumb HandbookFLASHBACK! A then-recent R. Crumb compilation is reviewed by a Crumb connoisseur (Kumar) and a Crumb newbie (Tim). The book features Crumb at his sweetest and his most shocking. But can this (or any book) claim to be the perfect Crumb compilation? (Originally published June 30, 2008.)

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Critiquing Comics #238: “Jane Jet” and “The Fog Within”

Once again we take a look at some comics submitted by their creators; we talk about what we liked about them and what could have been better.
Jane Jet
Jane Jet book 1: Nuclear Shadows, by writer Amal Desai and artist Paul Essenson, recalls Dave Stevens’ Rocketeer — the art, the jet-pack concept, the time period — but it deals with a woman getting out of an abusive relationship. Tim and Jason critique.

The Fog Within

The Fog Within, by writer Sean Wood and artist Deivid Deon, is a post-apocalyptic science fiction story, which… might have a few too many story elements. Tim and Adam discuss issues 1 and 2.

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#591 “Promethea”: A mind-bending, life-changing comic

PrometheaFLASHBACK! While Alan Moore and J.H. Williams’ Promethea, published from 1999 to 2005, is not one of Moore’s most remembered works, it’s not because the author wasn’t at the top of his game. Kumar and Emmet find it to be entrancing, even if you don’t buy into the various magical and spiritual elements that Moore built into it.

Also, inevitably, the incorporation of Promethea and other Moore creations into the DC Universe comes up; is it really just a business decision, or is the publisher singling out Moore’s work out of spite? (Originally published April 30, 2018.)

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#296 “Little Orphan Annie”

Little Orphan Annie

FLASHBACK! Harold Gray’s Little Orphan Annie debuted in 1924 and was a big success. FDR having not yet turned him against organized labor, Gray shows hardworking Annie going on strike in one of her many jobs. Tim and Kumar discuss the ’20s strips, their strengths and idiosyncrasies (one strip=one day?!), and how Gray’s outlook changed later. In observance of the strip’s 100th anniversary, we re-present this episode! (Originally published September 26, 2011.)

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“Captain Marvel” (2019)

Captain Marvel

Back in Critiquing Comics 154, Tim and Mulele discussed 2019’s Captain Marvel; Tim enjoyed it, Mulele did not. Now that we’ve arrived at the time to give it a full review as part of “Tim Catches Up with the MCU,” another viewing has helped us both to clarify our positions and see things we didn’t realize the first time around. Join us as we take a somewhat more nuanced look at the film. (Originally published on Patreon February 29, 2020)

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