FLASHBACK! In our September 15, 2008, episode, Brandon & Tim review Alex Robinson’s “Too Cool to Be Forgotten” and Lars Martinson’s “Tonoharu pt 1”!
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Category: Podcast
Deconstructing Comics Podcast, published every Monday, features comics creator discussion and comics reviews.
#263 Adrian Tomine’s “Shortcomings” … and our own
“Shortcomings” is a relationship story that mixes in issues of race and gender, and features a rather unlikeable character as its protagonist. Some say it’s Adrian Tomine’s masterwork, others say it’s more of the same from him. Tim (battling a cold that’s bestowed on him the voice of a frog) and Kumar (with a mic that keeps going on the fritz) overcome their own shortcomings to discuss the book.
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#262 “The Supervillain” and a Shoutout
Mulele & Tim, long overdue to critique some Web comics on the podcast, find a couple of sites chock-full of them.
First, The Supervillain, which features five different creators, a different one every weekday — and an opportunity for other artists on the weekend!
Then, the comics of John Roberson, who recently gave this podcast some warm fuzzies in his blog. Can Tim & Mulele return the favor?
Finally, time to do some self-promotion: Mulele talks about Weird Crime Theater.
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#261 Little Lulu
You’ve probably heard of Little Lulu. Perhaps you’ve read one of her comics, or maybe you saw the ’90s cartoon series on HBO. But did you know that, in the mid-20th century, Lulu was a merchandising juggernaut? Tim and Kumar discuss the background of the character, and review the Dark Horse book Lulu Takes a Trip.
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#260 The Rocketeer
Dave Stevens’ The Rocketeer was part of the early ’80s wave of indy comics that brought us American Flagg! and others. It features a ’30s setting, an un-heroically motivated protagonist, and enough cheesecake to fill a bakery. Tim and Kumar evaluate the value of the work 30 years on.
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#259 Jarrett Williams and “Super Pro K.O.”!
When last we checked in with Jarrett Williams, he was a student at Savannah College of Art & Design, and creator of the Web comic “Lunar Boy”. Since then, he’s graduated from SCAD and signed with Oni Press to publish a pro wrestling graphic novel series, “Super Pro K.O.”! Tim talks with Jarret about his take on the wrestling business, how he deals with criticism, his work process, and more.
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#044 “Superman: Red Son” and “The Truth”
FLASHBACK! Brandon has nothing but praise for Mark Millar’s Superman: Red Son; Tim’s feelings about the Dark Horse graphic novel The Truth are somewhat less adulatory…(Originally published October 9, 2006)
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#258 The Tokyo Censorship Law
The Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly recently passed a law that further limits minors’ access to “Any manga, animation, or pictures (but not including real life pictures or footage) that features either sexual or pseudo sexual acts that would be illegal in real life, or sexual or pseudo sexual acts between close relatives whose marriage would be illegal, where such depictions and / or presentations unjustifiably glorify or exaggerate the activity.” Perhaps understandable, but without clear guidelines for determining what is OK and what is not, there are fears of a slippery slope. Could this become defacto, outright censorship? Tim, Kumar, and Mulele discuss the new law, and how this situation compares to the events in the U.S. that led up to the creation of the comics code.
Dan Kanemitsu’s Paper Trail — many good blog postings on the topic
Publishers boycott anime convention
“My publisher has banned school uniforms” — (visuals on this site are NOT SAFE FOR WORK)
Child sex in manga: Art or Obscenity? — The Japan Times
JL Roberson touts Deconstructing Comics
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#001 “Superman Returns” “Revelations” “Hellboy”
FLASHBACK: THE PULSE-POUNDING ORIGIN! We revisit the very first time, more than five years ago, that Tim, Mulele, and Brandon recorded their comics discussion and put it up on the Net. The episode was originally published Dec. 5, 2005. Topics include the trailer for Superman Returns, Revelations by Paul Jenkins & Humberto Ramos, and Mike Mignola passing off art duties on Hellboy. Oh, and, of course, Star Wars.
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#257 “The Birth Caul” and “Snakes and Ladders”
Besides being one of the most highly regarded writers in the comics biz, Alan Moore has also, on several occasions, given artsy poetic readings. Two such readings that he gave in the late ’90s were turned into comics by Eddie Campbell. The text alone is dense enough with meaning, but Campbell’s images add yet another layer. Listen to Moore’s voice recordings of the works as you read and you have a full-on audio-comics experience. Tim and Kumar fawn and praise.
These two comics, plus a Moore interview, were later collected as A Disease of Language.
Another review, by page45.com.
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