Comics commentary – Deconstructing Comics

#691 Moore and Andrade’s “Crossed +100”

Crossed Plus 100

It’s debatable whether Garth Ennis’ series Crossed, about a disease that causes people to act in the most reprehensible ways possible, had any redeeming qualities, but when Alan Moore steps in to write the next chapter, you know it’s going to be worth discussing. And so we have Crossed +100 by Moore and Gabriel Andrade. In Moore’s hands, what is it, exactly, that the disease does? Is his attempt at writing future dialects of English annoying or fascinating? Kumar and Jordan settle in for a fascinating, but depressing, sequel.

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Critiquing Comics #192: “The Corona Bible”

The Corona Bible

Pier Dola has sent us another of his comics. Another of his very, very long comics, filled with very well-drawn grotesque images. This one is called The Corona Bible, and it’s about COVID and … other stuff. Tim and Emmet try to figure it out.

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#690 “Dragon Age: Dark Fortress” and “Haha”

HAHA and DRAGON AGE

Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir, following up on their appearance in episode 653, are back on the show to discuss their upcoming miniseries Dragon Age: Dark Fortress. How does the Dragon Age fan base compare with other ardent fan bases? How is Christina and Nunzio’s relationship with Dragon Age artist Fernando Heinz Furukawa? They discuss this and more with Emmet.

Then, Emmet and Tim discuss another miniseries, Haha, by W. Maxwell Prince with a variety of artists. The first two issues feature Vanessa DelRey and, a favorite of ours from episode 674, Zoe Thorogood!

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Critiquing Comics #191: “Confederate Monster” #1

Confederate Monster

A German doctor treats amputee Confederate soldiers in 1864 Virginia. But then his secret is found out by a desperate Southern army that will go to any lengths to get the doctor to do what they want. In this episode, Tim and Patrick discuss Dave Swartz’s Confederate Monster.

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#689 Priest’s “Black Panther”

Priest's Black Panther

In 1998, under the “Marvel Knights” banner, Christopher Priest began the first ongoing Black Panther title in nearly two decades. Panther was a relatively unknown character to many Marvel readers at the time. With the aid of “Emperor of Useless White Boys” Everett K. Ross, and artists like Mark Texeira and Joe Jusko, Priest (a.k.a. Jim Owsley) made Panther a must-read and brought the nature of his character into sharper focus. Kumar and Tim discuss the first 17 issues (the ones included in Black Panther by Christopher Priest: The Complete Collection Volume 1) and see if it still stands up 23 years later.

Michael Hoskin’s 4-part article

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Critiquing Comics #190: “Duplicant”

In a world where a pandemic is causing people’s organs to fail, the company that makes synthetic organs wields a lot of power – especially if the patient doesn’t have the funds to pay for the surgery. In this episode, writer Jason McNamara joins Tim to talk about Duplicant, from Karla Nappi, Marianna Strychowska, Carlos M. Mangual, Josh Reed, Leila Del Duca, and Owen Gieni.

Duplicant #4 Kickstarter

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#687 “Crowded”

Crowded

Is it annoying or brilliant? A smart commentary on internet culture? Too trendy for the oldsters who make this podcast? Is it plausible enough to stand alongside the best in science fiction? Emmet and Kumar ask these questions and more in their review of Crowded by Christopher Sebela, Ro Stein, Ted Brandt, Trina Farrell, and Cardinal Rae.

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#685 Hilary Barta interview

Where Monsters Smell

Hilary Barta has been drawing (and sometimes writing) comics for decades, for nearly any publisher you can name. He even worked with the great Alan Moore on “Splash Branigan.” In this week’s show he talks to Koom about working with Moore, his Plastic Man stint, and his new humor story with Doug Rice “When Monsters Smell” in Marvel #4. And, the utility of drugs to the creative process is debated.

HilaryBarta.com

Hilary Barta on Patreon

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Critiquing Comics #188: “Jellied Feels”

Jellied Feels

We’ve discussed Joseph Hewitt’s work on the show before, and even met him at a comics festival. Now he’s back with a collection of well-chosen gems from his back catalog. DCP co-founder Brandon makes his first Critiquing Comics appearance as he and Tim try spreading some of these Jellied Feels.

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#684 Joe Sacco’s “Paying the Land”

Paying the Land

Comics journalist Joe Sacco is back, with an up-close look at the Dene people, of the western part of Canada’s Northwest Territories. Like many native peoples, their way of life was shattered by contact with colonial Europeans, who made traumatizing efforts to assimilate them into Western culture. What happened in western Canada, and what is the way forward for the Dene? Tim and Kumar discuss Paying the Land.

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