#524 “Assassination Classroom”

Assassination ClassroomHe’s taken a bite out of the moon! He’s threatening to destroy earth! He’s… teaching junior high? What is the many-tentacled Koro Sensei up to? Why is he up for letting a bunch of 14-year-olds try to kill him? Tim and Kumar talk about Yuusei Matsui’s Assassination Classroom – incomprehensible sound effects and all!

#523 Who is Wonder Woman?

Wonder Woman: Earth OneOf course she’s been around for decades, but when it comes to how the character’s been presented, there’s always been a tension between her feminist qualities and the pinup-y ones. Is she here to empower women or excite men? Can it be both?

This week Emmet and John are here to talk about the genesis of a DC marquee character and how she’s been presented by various creators, with an emphasis on Grant Morrison and Yanick Paquette’s Wonder Woman: Earth One, and a useful comparison of Wonder Woman comics and the movie Mad Max: Fury Road.

#522 “Give Me Liberty” and the 2016 U.S. Election

givemelibertyFrank Miller and Dave Gibbons’ brilliant Give Me Liberty features a surreal America in the near future that is falling apart. Their Martha Washington, a young black woman raised in a housing project, is a tough, resourceful, heartbreaking heroine who journeys through and ultimately survives this America.

Koom and Kumar reflect upon the neglected classic and its eerie ability to touch upon the spirit of America during this election season. They recorded this podcast after the third presidential debate, when Hilary Clinton seemed likely to win, and joked about the connections. Sometimes, reality has a way of outdoing fiction.

Critiquing Comics #100: Comics from Conventions!

Comics from conventions

Somehow, Critiquing Comics is up to 100 episodes! Tim and Mulele mark this occasion by discussing a bunch of comics picked up at New York’s MoCCA Festival and Tokyo’s Kaigai Manga Festa.

Continue reading Critiquing Comics #100: Comics from Conventions!

#521 Kaigai Manga Festa 2016, part two!

Kaigai Manga Festa 2016

Part two of our roundup of creators who tabled at this year’s Kaiga Manga Festa, including talks with Graeme Mc Nee, Matthew Forsythe, Karl Kerschl, and our own Mulele!

Creators show their work to editors at Comitia, the larger festival alongside Kaigai on October 23, 2016

Continue reading #521 Kaigai Manga Festa 2016, part two!

#520 Kaigai Manga Festa 2016, part one!

Kaigai Manga Festa 2016

It’s time for another Kaigai Manga Festa roundup! This year’s international comics festival in Tokyo was held on October 23 at Tokyo Big Sight, alongside the Comitia festival as always. Tim caught up with some familiar faces and met some new ones as well!

Continue reading #520 Kaigai Manga Festa 2016, part one!

Critiquing Comics #099: “Esoteric Dialogue” #1

Esoteric Dialogue

If you’re into the idea of conspiracy theories (whether you actually believe in them or not), you may dig Scott Bufis and Matthew Salazar‘s Esoteric Dialogue. On the other hand, even if that’s not your thing, you gotta admire the work that goes into this comic. Tim and Mulele discuss issue 1 of the series.

# 519 “Bizarro” creator Dan Piraro

Bizarro

When Dan Piraro started his cartoon “Bizarro“, some of the factors you might expect were involved in the decision, but the Superman character wasn’t one of them! Dan wasn’t into superhero comics; in this episode we hear the rather, er, bizarro story of how he learned of his strip’s non-namesake (it involves Jerry Seinfeld!); how The Far Side blazed a trail for Bizarro (not in the way you might think!); if having a syndicated comic is still a good deal (if, in fact, it ever was); his forays into fine art, vaudeville, and coloring books; and much more.

#518 Joe Dator, New Yorker cartoonist

Joe Dator - manspreading

Single-panel cartoons, while not sequential art, certainly have some things in common with sequential art, and some cartoonists (Hank Ketcham, Bil Keane) have alternated between the two in their daily work. This week, in the first of two interviews with single-panel creators, Tim talks with New Yorker cartoonist Joe Dator.

What’s it like trying to get your joke across in exactly one panel — and get the darn thing published in a highly competitive venue like the pages of the New Yorker? How did the Far Side influence single-panels? (Perhaps less than you think!) What is the Mount Everest of cartooning? What cartoonists influenced Joe most? And – why does he spend his free time making a comedy podcast about classic rock?

Critiquing Comics #098: Pariah, Missouri

Pariah, MOAndres Salazar and Jose Luis Pescador’s Pariah, Missouri, set in the old west, presents some fantastic art and interesting characters. But is the story too formulaic? Tim and Mulele discuss.