Comics commentary from our podcast regulars.
Ed Piskor‘s comics work has been characterized by deep dives on big topics that the creator is really into: hip hop music and the X-Men. In this episode, Kumar and Dana dig into Piskor’s “Hip Hop Family Tree” and “X-Men: Grand Design.”
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Six hundred episodes! How’d we do that?
A double-header to celebrate. First, Tim and Eugenia discuss the long-, long-awaited next installment of the Sky Doll saga, Sky Doll: Sudra. Alessandro Barbucci and Barbara Canepa continue to astound with their beautiful artwork and colors. But is the story a satisfying next chapter?
Then, in honor of the big, round number on this episode, we present audio of Tim’s presentation on the history of Deconstructing Comics at the Tokyo Sequential Art Meetup last February 15!
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When Ms. Marvel rebooted in 2014 as the story of Marvel’s first Muslim superhero, written by G. Willow Wilson, it gained a lot of mainstream media attention. Is the book worth the hype? Kumar and Tim go back and read the first four trades and debate what worked and what didn’t.
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Paper Girls is an intricately-plotted time-travel story by Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang. Scientist and comics nerd Ryan Haupt joins Tim to talk about the series’ unanswered questions, animals (Tardigrades! Giant sloths!), character arcs, and more.
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Hyperepics.com is a site showcasing a growing number of three-page comics, more or less of the “Amazing Stories” mold. In this episode we read many of them and talk about what we liked, and what we didn’t.
In the most recent Deconstructing Comics, Mulele told Koom about the box of his wares that didn’t make it to TCAF. In this episode, Mulele gives us an update on his box and a look back at the overall TCAF experience.
Plus, some listener mail!
About “On Syntaphore” in Spanish
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A comic strip gag can be a deceptively simple thing. Once you take it apart — “deconstruct” it, one might say — you find that it actually has many moving parts.
Paul Karasik and Mark Newgarden‘s How to Read “Nancy” takes a close look at each of those parts — as well as arguing persuasively for Bushmiller’s underrated artistic chops, and giving us some comic-strip history as well. Tim and Patrick review.
PLUS: Roland Mann, Dean Zachary, and Kevin Gallegly join Tim to talk about the return of Cat and Mouse!
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Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto, about a school for ninja, ran from 1999 to 2014. What’s appealing about this series to kids? In this episode, Kumar asks a kid — his own 10-year-old son, Ashwin! Kumar’s been reading it himself, so father and son exchange takes on the comic, including what it was about the anime version that didn’t measure up to the manga, and Ashwin’s favorite Naruto character.
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Old Man of the Mountain issue 1, by Tom Rapka and Ariez Hernandez, includes an execution-style murder and three teens getting brutally, graphically cut to pieces. And yet, somehow it feels like it’s not meant to be a horror series. What is this comic trying to do?
That question goes double for On Syntaphore, by Lion’s Lips, because, while the art is attractive, the story is hard to discern — and even the reason for that isn’t quite clear.
Tim and Mulele discuss both, and also some listener mail, and Mulele’s upcoming trip to the Toronto Comic Arts Festival!
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While Alan Moore and J.H. Williams’ Promethea, published from 1999 to 2005, is not one of Moore’s most remembered works, it’s not because the author wasn’t at the top of his game. Kumar and Emmet find it to be entrancing, even if you don’t buy into the various magical and spiritual elements that Moore built into it.
Also, inevitably, the incorporation of Promethea and other Moore creations into the DC Universe comes up; is it really just a business decision, or is the publisher singling out Moore’s work out of spite?
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Tim and Mulele critique a couple of history-based comics:
A Light Before the Darkness by Ken Mora and Cyrus Mescarcia tells the story of an artist named Michelangelo — but no, not that one. It’s about Michelangelo Da Caravaggio Di Merisi, often known simply as “Caravaggio”. Mora seems to have done his homework, but has he given us a reason to buy into his subject?
The Satsuma Rebellion is Sean Michael Wilson and Akiko Shimojima’s retelling of the titular event in Japanese history. We found it interesting — but then, we live in Japan.
ALSO: Mulele’s “PSA” about what to look for when signing (or, perhaps, NOT signing) a contract with a publisher.
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