#385 The Legacy of “Starman”

starmanThe 1990s DC series Starman is one of comicdom’s most fondly remembered series. Interestingly, says series author James Robinson, it seems to be more popular now than it was when it was actually in production! James joins Tim and Ryan Haupt this week to look back on various aspects of this iconic series, including the theme of “legacy”, a sneaky crossover with another series, a story arc that never happened, the differences in how the Big Two have dealt with their Golden Age characters, and much more.

James Robinson on Science…Sort Of in October 2009

#288 “Changing Ways” and “Heroic: A Womanthology”

Changing Ways FLASHBACK! A creepy, rainy night. Mysterious red scars appearing on animals and people. Vicious wild pigs roam the streets. Justin Randall’s “Changing Ways” Book 1, published by Gestalt, reviewed by Tim and Brandon.
The Womanthology Heroic: A Womanthology, an anthology of comics created by women (some famous, others not yet) is currently in development and expected later this year from IDW. Tim talks to Athens-based participant Eugenia Koumaki, and IDW editor Mariah Huehner, about the background of and expectations for this project.

This episode was originally published August 1, 2011.

Critiquing Comics #058: “Pale Dark”

Pale Dark

A man is kidnapped from his home and taken to a secret facility, where a mysterious pale man tells him he’s in deep trouble for supposedly committing serious crimes. In fact, a fellow prisoner tells him, he — and they — “fit the profile.” For what? Is keeping your audience in the dark, as in Chuck Amadori and Ruvel Abril’s Pale Dark, about the plot the best way to draw them in? Tim and Mulele discuss.

#379 Jason McNamara: Read, Write, and Rattle

ShorthandJason McNamara, last seen in a San Francisco Italian restaurant, returns to the podcast! He talks with Tim about his latest comics, Shorthand and The Rattler, publishing through Comixology, The Martian Confederacy, and Superior Spider-Man, and we also discuss the art of writing.

#378 International Comics Fest pt 2

Tim with Juanjo GuarnidoOur report on the October 20 International Manga Festival (Kaigai Manga Festa) at Tokyo Big Sight concludes, with analog cloud computer support, an unexpected Boston Comics Roundtable connection, a young boy in strange lands, talk of censorship, Bulgarian comics, and finally, the artist behind Blacksad, Juanjo Guarnido!

Info on all the exhibitors we talk to in this episode is below!

 

Continue reading #378 International Comics Fest pt 2

#377 International Comics Fest pt 1

TimOn October 20, Tim and Mulele visited the International Manga Festival (Kaigai Manga Festa) at Tokyo Big Sight. Comics creators from around the world were exhibiting their work to an enthusiastic mostly-Japanese crowd. This week: part one of our report.

Info on all the exhibitors we talk to in this episode is below!

 

Continue reading #377 International Comics Fest pt 1

Critiquing Comics #053: “Barbadango”

barbadangoThis is the prettiest comic we’ve seen in quite a while! Gorgeous art and a promising story characterize George Caltsoudas’ all-ages digital comic Barbadango. Tim and Mulele savor.

#368 Sweating the details with “Cursed Pirate Girl”

Cursed Pirate GirlWaaay back in episode 250, Tim talked to Thomas Negovan about the Kickstarter project for a comic called Cursed Pirate Girl. Negovan was the publisher of the single issues of the series, and was handling media inquiries while the comic’s creator, Jeremy Bastian, put all his time into the comic’s insanely detailed art.

The first three issues are now out in a fancy hardcover from Archaia, and this time Jeremy himself comes on the show to talk to Tim about what’s happened since the successful 2010 Kickstarter project, and what to expect from here.

Plus, Tim and Brandon review the book!

Critiquing Comics #050: “Shattered with Curve of Horn”

shatteredwithcurveWhat happened on that night eight years ago? An experimental drug was tried by four friends, leading to widely contrasting outcomes for each. That’s the premise of Shattered with Curve of Horn, by Max Miller Dowdle. Tim and Mulele critique.

#367 Cartooning! Or, is it “Comics Drawing”?

brunettiIt’s a 15-week comics course in 78 pages! Ivan Brunetti’s Cartooning: Philosophy and Practice is about comics creation, but it’s less about technique or how-to than about shoving aside any preconceived notions and looking at the very basic pieces of sequential storytelling – or even boiling down an entire novel into a non-sequential single panel. Tim and his brother Paul use the book as a launching pad for discussing various comics-philosophy ideas, like: is there a difference between a “cartoonist” and a “comics artist”? What can you learn from a “bad” artist? Is it valuable to learn comics creation, or anything else, the old, low-tech way before digging into the modern, digital way?