Critiquing Comics #137: “Eric”

Eric

A music star on a downward spiral is experiencing strange visions. It seems that everything he knows is wrong. What’s real and what’s not? Tim and Mulele discuss Eric by Tom Manning.

ALSO:

25:25: Tim and Mulele’s podcast recommendations (comics-related and otherwise)

44:36: The saga of Mulele’s TCAF box reaches its denouement.

56:30: Mail from listeners

Critiquing Comics #135: “Hyper Epics” and Mulele’s missing box

Hyper Epics

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

#595 Mulele and other DCP connections at TCAF

TCAF 2018

Koom’s visit to Toronto Comic Arts Festival 2018 included several table interviews and a longer wrap-up interview with Mulele on the process of signing up for TCAF, the many roadblocks he ran into on the trip itself, the payoff of attending, how TCAF compares with Tokyo cons, and more.

(larger photos and time stamps below)

Harmony Becker

1:26 Harmony Becker, who tabled at Kaigai Manga Festa in Tokyo last year and was interviewed by Tim here, gives us an update

Mark Laliberte and Jonation Dyck

4:36 Mark Laliberte and Jonathan Dyck of the 4 Panel anthology

Molly Muldoon

7:58 Molly Muldoon, co-writer of the graphic novel Dead Weight with past DCP guest Terry Blas

Mulele

11:50 Mulele‘s TCAF story

#594 Campbell and Niffenegger and their “Bizarre Romance”

Audrey Niffenegger and Eddie Campbell

In town for the Toronto Comic Arts Festival, comics power couple Eddie Campbell and Audrey Niffenegger talk to Koom in this episode about their new collaboration, called Bizarre Romance. We also get some tidbits about Audrey’s work on the sequel to her novel The Time Traveler’s Wife, and Eddie talks about coloring From Hell and his recent book The Goat-Getters.

More from TCAF this Thursday!

#593 Reading “Nancy”, plus “Cat and Mouse”!

How to Read Nancy

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.

Click to enlarge

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.

Cat and Mouse

PLUS: Roland Mann, Dean Zachary, and Kevin Gallegly join Tim to talk about the return of Cat and Mouse!

Critiquing Comics #134: “Fallen Ones” and “The Five of Us”

Fallen Ones - The Five of UsA werewolf. A female assassin. A grieving father. Varga Balint Bank and Vadas Mate’s Fallen Ones weaves their stories together in a well-thought-out way.

The Five of Us: It All Starts Here, from Sean Conway, Bangkit Myarso, Arief Reza Erlangga, and Dreadink, gives us a group of young African-American men who happen onto Power Rangers-type powers. Yeah, but what’s the actual story here?

Tim and Mulele review.

Critiquing Comics #133: “The Old Man of the Mountain” and “On Syntaphore”

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!

Critiquing Comics #132: “A Light Before the Darkness”, “The Satsuma Rebellion”, and publishing contracts

A Light Before Darkness - The Satsuma Rebellion

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.

#590 Chris Stevens and “Once Upon a Time Machine”

Chris Stevens, a comics writer and editor who has co-edited two volumes of the anthology series Once Upon a Time Machine (the second volume is newly released) talks with Koom about Frank Miller’s work, Chris’ time with Philadelphia indy publisher Locust Moon, income inequality among comics creators, and of course, some of the stories he’s edited for the anthologies.

#589 Dorman, Mackie, and McCrea at Toronto Comicon

This week, three interviews that Koom got at Toronto Comicon, in a special two-hour episode!

Dave Dorman is best known for his Star Wars art, as well as other fantasy work, and even some Batman. Here he talks about being one of the first students at the Kubert School, and the lasting friendships he made there with other now-famous names, and about his approach to painting, including doing likenesses.

Howard Mackie entered Marvel in 1984 as an editor, and eventually became the writer on such characters as Ghost Rider, Iron Man, and Spider-Man. He talks about that transition, working with the guys who would later form Image Comics, and what he’s done since leaving Marvel.

John McCrea is best known for his work with Garth Ennis on such works as Troubled Souls, Hitman, and Section 8. What’s it like working with Garth? Why should you avoid doing work that goes against your publisher’s expectations? Why did he set out to do a different kind of comics than the type he’s seemingly best suited for?