#494 Batman vs. Superman

Batman vs. Superman

Kumar talks with both Emmet O’Cuana and John Roberson about Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice. How does Zack Snyder see these characters, and how is his vision at odds with the established ideas about these characters? How can we think about the events in this movie in a way that makes sense?

Music:

“Superman’s Song” – Crash Test Dummies

“I Whipped Batman’s Ass” – Wesley Willis

“(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman” – The Kinks

#493 The Dangers of Satire (But don’t back down!)

Charlie HebdoThe panel discussion “You can get killed doing this: sketches from the satire biz” was held at the recent MoCCA Fest in New York. The panel discussed the chilling effects on what satirical works get published, and why it’s important to keep publishing satire anyway. The blurb in the festival’s booklet reads in part: “Can satire survive in a world of trigger warnings and Kalishnikov triggers? Could the National Lampoon be published in a post-Charlie Hebdo world? Is self-censorship the greatest sin of all?” This week we present an excerpt of that discussion.

It was led by Rick Meyerowitz, formerly of National Lampoon, and featured political cartoonist Steve Brodner, former National Lampoon co-editor Sean Kelly, and cartoonist Peter Kuper.

Also: Tim meets up with Mike Seid, Rahsaan Romain, and John Lee at the New York Aspiring Comic Creators Club meetup!

#492 MoCCA Fest 2016, pt 2

MoCCA part two

MoCCA Festival, presented by the Society of Illustrators and the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art, was held at Metropolitan West in New York City on April 2 and 3. This week, the tablers Tim talked with on the second day.

Also, excerpts from a panel discussion called “Autobiography: Revealing the Self in Comics.” The panel was moderated by Heidi MacDonald (The Beat) and featured Gabrielle Bell (Truth is Fragmentary), Nicole Georges (Calling Dr. Laura), Jennifer Hayden (The Story of My Tits), and Gina Wynbrandt (Someone Please Have Sex With Me).

Click on “Continue reading this Post” to see photos of everyone in this episode.

Continue reading #492 MoCCA Fest 2016, pt 2

Critiquing Comics #089: Beads

beadsA string of beads, a birthmark, and a string of romances through history that end in various types of tragedies. Irene Strychalski‘s silent comic Beads presents this simple yet profound story in her stunning artwork. Tim and Mulele discuss.

#491 MoCCA Fest 2016, pt 1

MoCCA part one

MoCCA Festival, presented by the Society of Illustrators and the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art, was held at Metropolitan West in New York City on April 2 and 3. Tim was there, and talked with a lot of folks who were tabling about their work. Follow along with the photos below as you listen, and click the links to check out their work!

Continue reading #491 MoCCA Fest 2016, pt 1

#490 The Center for Cartoon Studies

Center for Cartoon StudiesThis week Tim, joined by brother Paul, visits the Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction, VT, to talk with some students and faculty! What’s it like studying comics in a small New England railroad town?

This week we present an hour of discussion on the podcast, and more audio and photos for patrons pledging at least $3.00 a month on Patreon!

Continue reading #490 The Center for Cartoon Studies

#489 Tapastic’s Michael Son & The Rattler’s Jason McNamara

TapasticTapastic is one of the many places online that you could put your comic. Why put it there? This week, Tapastic Editor-in-chief Michael Son joins Tim to explain the advantages of the site, issues they’re working to solve, what kind of audience is reading the site (and how reader demands have changed), and what new features are in the pipeline.

The RattlerJason McNamara is back with us after two years, and now his book with Greg Hinkle, The Rattler, has just been published by Image! He joins us to talk about the disturbing inspiration for the book, how the 2014 Kickstarter project for the book helped it get published, and more.

 

Critiquing Comics #088: Mushroom Madness

mushroommadnessMichael Bangert, who sent us Viking Sky Kings some time back, has returned with a new comic, Mushroom Madness. He’s taken a comics writing class since his last outing; Tim and Mulele can see ways that it’s helped… and progress yet to be made.

#488 Farewell, Alvin; Hello, MoCCA

Alvin BuenaventuraAlvin Buenaventura, who died last month at age 39, was a guy with a great eye for unusual art, and he had a large impact on the comics publishing world. He’s perhaps best known for publishing a $125 comic, the 16” x 21” tome Kramers Ergot 7 (shown)! This week Tom Spurgeon joins Tim to discuss Alvin’s impact.

Also, Tim and Tom discuss the upcoming MoCCA festival in New York!

#487 Maya Kern and “Monster Pop!”

Monster Pop!Maya Kern‘s “Monster Pop!” features monsters and humans living together at a university. In Kern’s mind, it’s like, and also not like, shojo manga. How so?

This week, Tim talks with Maya about the increased acceptance of gay characters in comics; the problems with blogging from a character’s point of view (and of making your character a musician); why comics conventions are good for connections, but anime conventions are good for making money; repetitive strain injury, online comics promotion (Tapastic, Patreon), and more.