Deconstructing Comics Podcast, published every Monday, features comics creator discussion and comics reviews.
Back in April, Tim talked to Brian Mitchell about his matchbook-sized comics. Recently, he sent us some samples, so Tim and Mulele have read through them and are here with their thoughts.
Brian’s site, where you can order his comics
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When Doonesbury started nearly 42 years ago, Garry Trudeau was a hot young property, the undergrad student cartoonist who spoke the language of “today’s youth”. Now age 64, Trudeau can hardly make that claim, but instead he can take credit for a monumental strip chronicling the lives of his many cast members and their lives growing old in the social and political environments of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Tim and Kumar assess the strip’s legacy, discuss Brian Walker’s Doonesbury and the Art of G. B. Trudeau, and review the past year’s worth of strips.
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Is Flex Mentallo just a superhero story or is it something far more? Does it speak only to comic book fans or can it say something for everyone? Is it about childhood, adulthood, drugs, loss, hope, despair, the comic book marketplace, pain, healing, or all of these at the same time? And do you have to be on acid to understand Grant Morrison, or does it just help? Writer Troy Belford and indie cartoonist John Linton Roberson go on and on about all of this, and it’s a bit beyond the usual. Have a listen to this special mega-length episode…IF YOU DARE.
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First up this week, an interview with Brandon Easton, creator of Shadowlaw and also writer of an episode of the new Thundercats series. Shadowlaw took well over a decade to come to fruition due to the nearly endless difficulties Easton had with finding a reliable artist. He shares his advice for finding a collaborator for your own project.
Our own Mulele had some problems as the hired artist for a couple of comics projects when he tried his luck in Los Angeles six years ago. The experience was a harrowing one — more so than we realized at the time. Mulele tells all, and also talks about his next career steps — including a trip to a convention!
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Our listener submission this time: Stymie, by James Hohenstein.
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Call it Orientalism, but Middle Eastern culture still carries a hint of romance in the Western imagination. This week, Tim and Brandon discuss two books in that vein:
Prince of Persia, by Jordan Mechner, AB Sina, LeUyen Pham and Alex Puvilland, coasts on notions of romance and intrigue in ancient Persia; meanwhile,
Habibi, by Craig Thompson, takes hold of Arabian Nights-type notions — as well as Islam — and uses them to express more universal themes.
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This week, Tim talks to three guys who participated in San Diego Comicon earlier this month, to see what their objectives were for being there, how it went, and their advice to SDCC newbies.
Dale Wilson, who wrote up his experience at BuyIndieComics.com, on why he left “unfulfilled” in some ways, but enjoyed it in other ways;
Justin Hall, who we last talked to in March of last year, on promoting his Fantagraphics book “No Straight Lines” and Prism Comics, as well as the sideline indie comics gathering Trickster; and
Robert Roach, a veteran of San Diego tabling, on his Japanese influences, networking, and more.
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This week Tim and Mulele puzzle over “Kuzimu” by Brett Uren.
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Due perhaps to the passage of time, poorly handled reprinting by DC, or some other reason, Alan Moore’s writing stint on Swamp Thing in the 1980s does not seem to get mentioned much today. Which is a shame, because it ranks with Moore’s best work. And the art by Stephen Bissette and John Totleben (and able fill-in artists) is worth the price of admission by itself, not to mention Tatjana Wood’s colors.
Tim and Kumar had a blast reading the early issues of the run (#21-37) and are here to share the experience with you.
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Does “giving a critique” mean “stating an opinion”? Or, as some fans of a comic we discussed a few weeks ago imply, does it demand total objectivity? Is that even possible? And, by the way, what’s the difference between a critique and a review? Tim and Mulele discuss these questions before going on to critique Super Haters by Nick Marino and Justique Woolridge.
Critique vs. Review:
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