Comics commentary from our podcast regulars.
Horror writer H.P. Lovecraft understood that it was more upsetting to let the reader imagine the horrific thing, than to actually show it. So, can one really do Lovecraft in comics effectively?
In volume 1 of his comics adaptation of Lovecraft’s H.P. Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness Volume 1 (Manga)
Plugs
Kumar’s novel: Tanuja Ramachandran: Hunter-Seeker
Emmet’s short comics story: Something Wicked 2019
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Roger Casement is known in the UK and Ireland as a British diplomat who joined the Irish Nationalists and, in 1916, was convicted of treason and executed. But the rest of the world is less familiar with his name. Enter Fionnuala Doran, who has released a graphic novel about him called The Trial of Roger Casement. In this episode, she talks with Emmet about the book, its protagonist, and the issues surrounding him, as well as some chat about Preacher and the new status quo in the X-men books.
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Jorge Munoz has been a favorite of ours for a while. Recently he sent in several recent works (Longdog, Quin Reyes and Hao Delivery, a sketchbook, Yon Kuma, Sea), and this episode we sit down and take a look at them.
Also, Mulele recounts his visit to a New York exhibit called Illustrating Batman. (switch to grid view to browse)
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In the manga world. Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira has Watchmen-like status. But, as with Alan Moore, the work that caused a sensation overshadows the creator’s excellent previous work. In this case, that’s Domu: A Child’s Dream, originally published in Japanese in 1980-81, and (criminally) out of print in English for nearly two decades now. In this episode, Alberto Melendez (co-creator of the recently-critiqued AntFarm) joins Tim to discuss this forgotten gem.
Review by Seth T. Hanhe on goodokbad.com
Review by Evan Krell on anigamers.com
Read Domu on super-cheesy site Kissmanga (site no longer exists 4/17/24)
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Critiquing Comics returns to discuss the following comics:
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Daniel Clowes’ 1990s series Ghost World became a movie in 2001. Will Weaver, a professor at John Carroll University, says that each version of the story was what it needed to be for that medium. Why did those choices, such as adding Seymour, make sense for the movie? Could a film version have worked without Seymour? And what’s the deal with that bus, anyway? Will joins Tim to discuss these questions and more.
Comic Journal review of the movie, by Michael Dean
Daniel Clowes interview in Salon
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Dan Mishkin has worked on many different superhero properties, especially for DC — big names such as Batman and Wonder Woman, as well as characters that he helped to create, such as Blue Devil and Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld. Tim has been reading the original 1983 Amethyst series, and in part one of his talk with Dan, we get some of the background on the series: the development of the idea, the intended audience, death in the series, why the second series came to be, Amy Winston’s unpublished Jewish backstory, and, if Dan could do Amethyst again, would he do anything differently?
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In this episode, we discuss:
Plus, a recent comic from Marvel that’s of interest to budding writers; a letter from a creator whose work we recently critiqued; and more Spidey/Sony/Marvel talk.
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Eileen Gray: A House Under the Sun is a slim graphic novel by Charlotte Malterre-Barthes and Zosia Dzierzawska, about the titular famous Irish architect that most people have never heard of. Kumar and Emmet found it beautiful and intriguing; here’s their review.
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Pro basketballer Johnny O’Bryant has long been a fan of manga. But he wanted to see manga-type stories showing people of other races, with characters he could more closely identify with. So he created comics publisher Noir Caesar and hired creators to make his vision happen. Tim and Mulele talk with Johnny about balancing his two careers, his story ideas, and what’s coming next. Then, we read some of the comics and find out what the fuss is about.
See the Primus 7 video trailer
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