Comics commentary from our podcast regulars.
Two bounty hunters are recruited for another job. A woman is seen topless, numerous people get their brains blown out, men and women get amorous on a hair-trigger, and quips and oddball observations are the order of the day. A ’90s Tarentino-esque film? No, it’s graphic novel .357 Magnum Opus, by Ghezal Omar with art by MingChen Shen. Tim and Jason come in with guns blazing.
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Amazing Grace is a Webtoon comic by Shane Berryhill and Mike Salter, featuring sword fights with Dracula, women with plunging necklines, and, sometimes, chapter endings that lack punch. Tim and Adam try to diagnose, and give prescriptions for, what ails this comic, while recognizing that it’s not too far from being well-done.
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A story originally conceived as an Incredible Hulk tale in — really — the 1980s, Barry Windsor-Smith‘s Monsters has finally seen the light of day. How is it? Kumar and Dana find it a joy to look at, and containing a number of astonishing scenes and mind-blowing plot points, but also to have some serious drawbacks. Does the good outweigh the bad? Here’s their review.
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“How much Stan can you stand?” Tim and Emmet’s look at books on Stan Lee continues with The Man’s graphic novel-memoir Amazing Fantastic Incredible, by Stan Lee, Peter David, and Colleen Doran. Can we recommend it?
1:18:40 Also, Tim looks back at a few of the many high points in the history of Deconstructing Comics, complete with old show clips!
#224 Our Notes on “Death Note”
#165 Mo Willems’ Dirty Little Secret
#173 Diamond and the U.S. Comics Market
#595 Mulele and other DCP connections at TCAF
#299 Detroit Metal City vs. Metalocalypse Dethklok
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Winston Gambro’s Rex Radley: Boy Adventurer is an all-ages comedy adventure series. Tim and Adam discuss.
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In this episode Kumar Sivasubramanian (psst our Eisner nominated member of the Deconstructing Comics team) and Emmet O’Cuana discuss Eleanor Davis‘s comics. Focusing mainly on her collection How To Be Happy and one-shot Libby’s Dad, the comic creator’s use of subtle sadness and surreal humor inspires a wide- ranging conversation (including how to be happy during a plague!).
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In the 21st century, Tony Stark (alter ego of Iron Man) has been evolving into an Elon Musk-type “futurist.” What are the reasons for this change? Has it done anything to expand the kinds of stories that can be told with the character? Has Stark ever even really worked as a sympathetic character? Emmet calls up self-described “strategy & foresight practitioner” (and comics geek) Matt Finch to discuss these points and more.
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Comics can surely be violent, but can the sheer audacity of the violence make it, intentionally or not, funny? Tim and Adam discuss one of the most over-the-top comics ever critiqued on our show, Kirt Burdick’s Galacto Pit-Fighter!
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Most people have some dreams of fame and fortune. A certain portion of those people make their way to Hollywood in hopes of getting that big break. But how much are you willing to give up to achieve that goal? And what if the fame isn’t as great as you expected? These are the questions arising from the forthcoming graphic novel Everyone is Tulip, by Dave Baker and Nicole Goux. This time, Dave and Nicole tell Tim about their collaboration style, how comics writers are (often unfairly) seen as more important than artists, why rejection doesn’t really exist in the publishing field, and more.
Then, Tim and Jason review Everyone is Tulip!
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Comics, of course, are not just for entertainment. They’re a great medium for educating. This week we feature two examples:
Sequential Potential is a company which helps academics get their points across in comics form. Co-founders Darick and Emily Ritter walk us through the process of conversion from dry, boring text to eye-catching comics.
The town of Minamata is one of several well-known examples of industrial waste leading to a massive tragedy visited on a community in mid-20th century Japan. That is, well-known in Japan. Sean Michael Wilson and Akiko Shimojima have set out to draw more attention from English speakers to the human cost of the Minamata mass mercury poisoning, with their new book The Minamata Story: An Eco Tragedy. Tim and Adam review.
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