Category: Kumar’s reviews

#468 Harvey Kurtzman’s MAD

MADFLASHBACK! In light of the recent announcement that MAD will be ceasing publication, we re-present this episode from October 5, 2015:

While early 1950s anti-comics hysteria eventually resulted in the cancellation of nearly all their books, EC Comics still had one thing going for them: MAD! Written by Harvey Kurtzman and drawn by some of the best comics artists of the age, this parody comic set the template for much that came after it. But can the humor still be appreciated today? What are we to think of some of the attitudes on display toward, say, women or certain ethnic groups? Tim and Kumar discuss.

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#627 Walt Simonson’s “Thor”

Thor and Beta Ray Bill

 

One of the most acclaimed Marvel runs of the 1980s was by Walt Simonson on The Mighty Thor. He began writing and drawing it with #337, continued through to #367 (with a quick break in the middle), then gave up art duties but continued writing through #382. This run set aside Dr. Don Blake, focused on mythical threats rather than earthly ones, and injected some humor into what had sometimes been a fairly dry, dour book. Tim and Kumar look back to assess this important run.

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#618 “Achewood”

Achewood

Chris Onstad made webcomic Achewood from 2001 to 2016, a strange, offbeat strip that may not be for everyone, but seems to be for Kumar and Dana, who have spent some time catching up with the strip. They give us their thoughts on the humor, the change in social mores since 2001 that becomes obvious when reading the early strips, the strip’s keen observations about aging and depression, and more.

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#613 “My Favorite Thing is Monsters”

My Favorite Thing is Monsters

My Favorite Thing is Monsters is a horror-movie-influenced graphic novel set against the tumult of the U.S. in the 1960s. What’s stunning is that it’s the first published work for Emil Ferris, but it’s very accomplished. Kumar and Emmet review.

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#611 “Infidel”

Infidel

Infidel, by Pornsak Pichetshote, Aaron Campbell, and Jose Villarubia, has drawn comparisons to the film Get Out for its mixing of horror with social issues. In this episode, Kumar and Dana discuss what they enjoyed in the comic and what they were irritated by, and brave the minefield of talking about this book on a podcast!

Also, Tim reads the lengthy response from Derf Backderf to our recent review of the film version of My Friend Dahmer.

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#610 Michael Kupperman gives us “All the Answers”

All the Answers

Michael Kupperman, best known for the likes of Snake ‘n’ Bacon and Tales Designed to Thrizzle, decided to go with a more serious and narrative-driven approach with his latest work, All the Answers. It’s the true story of how his father, Joel Kupperman, became famous on the radio and TV show Quiz Kids during and after World War II, an experience which not only scarred him for life, but had implications for Michael’s life as well.

In this episode, Michael Kupperman talks about his use of silhouette, the pointers he took from reading Grant Morrison’s work, and the common graphic-novel misfires that he tried hard to avoid. Then, Tim and Kumar review All the Answers, and identify other potential book topics hiding in its narrative!

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#609 “Saga” (a non-gushing review)

Saga

Saga, by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples, has been a bestselling book for Image Comics for years, and fawned over by critics and readers alike. While Emmet finds a fair number of things to like about it, hardly anything about it is to Kumar’s taste. For this episode, both of them have read all the issues published to date — 54 of them!– and present this somewhat out-of-the-mainstream review.

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#607 “Dahmer” on film

Dahmer movie

Last year saw the release of Marc Meyers’ film adaptation of Derf Backderf’s My Friend Dahmer, starring Ross Lynch, Anne Heche, Dallas Roberts, Alex Wolff, and Vincent Kartheiser. How is the film different from the book, and how do we account for the differences considering Derf’s close involvement in the movie? Did the film’s budget hold it back? Kumar and Emmet discuss.

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#603 Ed Piskor’s “Hip Hop Family Tree” and “X-Men: Grand Design”

Hip Hop Family Tree

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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#597 “Ms. Marvel,” season one

Ms. Marvel

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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