Comics commentary from our podcast regulars.
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to go to medical school, take apart cadavers, take exhaustive exams over anatomy, illnesses, and treatments, then become a resident and work 30-hour shifts? Would you still have the passion to become a doctor after all that? This week, Emmet and I discuss the forthcoming book The Human Remains by Dr. Nathan Gray, which explores those questions.
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Jack Kirby’s 1970s Black Panther series started out kind of strange, with King T’Challa wandering far from his kingdom for no apparent reason, but the latter part of the series has pleasantly surprised us. Even the goofy Panther relatives Kirby introduced have turned out to be delightful. Just when we really want more, we reach the end of his run as he prepares to leave Marvel for good. So this time Emmet and I are savoring the last two issues, numbers 11 and 12!
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Derf Backderf’s latest book is The Dissidents, focusing on a group of political cartoonists in the late 1910s who did powerful political cartoons in a hair-raisingly horrible period in American history: World War I, anti-war protest made illegal, massacres of American blacks (encouraged by the president, no less), torture in American prisons and more. Tim and Kumar discuss.
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If you think you’ve read a book like As I Dream of You before, you’re probably wrong. Yes, it’s about a romance between two teenagers, and yes, it turns tragic, but it’s the way the story is told that sets it apart, intentionally misleading you in several ways that give it heft and make rereads obligatory, just to absorb everything the book is doing. The story is by Jennifer Lee, writer and director of Frozen and other animated films; the artist is LeUyen Pham, who comes from the world of children’s book illustration but has honed her comics storytelling chops quite well. This week she talks with Tim about how those two disciplines differ, working with Jennifer Lee, inspiration from Craig Thompson and Marjane Satrapi, the meaning in this book’s coloring, and more.
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Well, it was probably inevitable: we were sent a comic made with A.I. The human creator cops to using it for the art, but the story also as an A.I. feel. Is it any good? Is it ethical to present it as “art”? Tim and Adam discuss.
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This time we’re rejoined by Adam Tierney, writer of Romeo and Juliet and Godzilla, as well as Italian artist Saspy. From opposite sides of the planet, they’ve collaborated on a new comedy/horror/YA graphic novel from IDW, 13 Demons Dead.
Meanwhile, Koom has been at Fan Expo Canada. He’s done a brief interview with John Rhys-Davies (Gimli in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and Sallah in the Indiana Jones series) and a longer talk with Captain Canuck co-creator Richard Comely. Is there a connection between Captain Canuck and Captain Canada? (Which Captain Canada?) He talks about how he’s increasingly used the character to make a political statement, and more.
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This week we finally return to Jack Kirby’s 1970s run on Black Panther, specifically issues 9 and 10. With Panther away during a crisis, his four relatives step up and become the Black Musketeers! Will they be comedically inept? Racially cringey? Or maybe they’ll turn out to be so great that everybody will forget about T’Challa! Also, Panther’s plight takes an amusing turn as he encounters a sci-fi film shoot in the African desert… hmmm…
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Consider the Incredible Hulk. He’s often referred to as the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of the Marvel Universe. But is he really Jekyll and Hyde on a deep level? Paul has been studying the early Hulk comics, looking at the various framings that were tried soon after the character’s debut. Does Banner turn to Hulk when the sun goes down? Can he become Hulk whenever he wants? Does Rick Jones have hypnotic control over the Hulk? These were all tried in the wacky six-issue run of Hulk’s book in 1962 and ‘63 before it was canceled. This week, a look at the struggle to arrive at the tropes of the Hulk!
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This summer’s Supergirl movie, while not nearly as good as sliced bread, was compelling enough to make Tim curious as to how it compares with the comic it’s based on, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow by Tom King and Bilquis Evely. Tim recruited Emmet to join in and consider questions such as: Why did this movie get made? How do we feel about the original comic? Is the movie a good adaptation? Did the story changes to the film hurt or help it? Here’s that discussion!
Comic Tropes video on Bilquis Evely
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Doomwar is a 2010 miniseries in which Dr. Doom sponsors a coup in Wakanda in order to get his hands on all the country’s processed vibranium. As we continue to celebrate 60 years of the Black Panther, Tim is joined by Professor Alan, whose Doomspeak podcast celebrates Dr. Doom, a character who will be cinematically very relevant in a few short months! With writing by Jonathan Maberry and art by Scot Eaton, Doomwar is a series that raises a number of questions, whether in the text itself or simply in the minds of reviewers: In what circumstances is a violent response justified? How violent? Should superhero comics, which run on their own progression of time, bring in real-life U.S. Presidents and significant events? While an issue cover with a spoiler may be justified for marketing that issue, should it really be included in the trade?
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