This week, the comic that shows there’s definitely an “I” in “Immune system”! In Biowars, the body’s defenses against disease appear as egotistical, infighting super heroes. And… very nice art, and… Hmm, something missing here. Tim and Mulele give this comic a proper physical.
Irya is a boy in a unidentified country. His brother has just left, saying he’s going to “farm”. Then, Irya moves rocks by telekinesis. Wait, what? Tim and Mulele discuss Bits Fair, a Web comic that’s basically good, but could use some tweaking — in terms of the writing, and other things as well…
In a special bonus episode, we check out a few remaining tidbits from Tim Across America’s final state, California!
First, Stephenny Godfrey recalls the events that inspired her comics “Panorama” and “Two Buses”, leading Dale Wilson to try to top that story with another, about a weird occurrence from his childhood!
Then, Jason McNamara gives Tim some pointers on the novel he’s started writing.
Tim Across America, part ten! The finish line of Tim’s trip is Los Angeles, home of our friend Dale Wilson, of BuyIndieComics and DWAP Productions. Dale hooks us up with Robert Roach, comics creator and Hollywood storyboarder. He fills us in on ways that storyboarding is much different from comics, and also talks about the importance of getting the details in your story right — regardless of medium.
For the Southern California edition of Ask a Retailer, a talk with Howard Chen at Legacy Comics and Cards in Glendale. Unlike most of the other Tim Across America retailers, Legacy still has plenty of manga on the shelves. But to what extent are those books flying off the shelves?
Finally, Tim and Dale are joined by Stephenny Godfrey (“Panorama”, “Two Buses”) and Richard Hamilton (“Return of the Super Pimps”, “Miserable Dastards”) to discuss the L.A. comics community and revisit a topic from the Chicago episode: should you make a comic as a step toward getting your story on film?
Also, don’t miss Griffin the Dog in his podcast debut!
Tim Across America, part nine! When it comes to Big Two comics these days, there’s a lot to complain about. Marvel characters changed to look like the actors who play them in movies; nearly the entire DC line subsumed into a grim-and-gritty muck. And yet… we still like some of these books! Superior Spider-man, anyone?
In a cafe in Berkeley, California, Tim discusses this and more with three past guests who all live in the East Bay area, but had never previously met: Deb Aoki, John Roberson, and Jason McNamara! Conversation also swung to whether Image can eclipse the Big Two, comparison of black and white comics vs. color, doing a Kickstarter project for your comic vs. doing print-on-demand, and more!
Tim Across America, part 7! Gordon McAlpin has put in more than a decade on the popular Web comic Multiplex, about kids who work at a movie theater — a concept he had originally thought was stupid! What changed his mind? How has he successfully funded two Kickstarter projects to print books of his comic? He talks with Tim about this in a Minneapolis restaurant, as well as using Patreon for funding, his tools for making the strip, and the good and bad points of letting your characters age.
Plus, a clip from Tim’s appearance on the KFAI Minneapolis radio program True Brit!
Tim Across America pt 3! Visiting Chicago, Tim links up with some local comics people, including a couple we’ve heard from before, for a wide-ranging discussion. Topics include: Public perception of comics and comics readers in the US; interactions between US comics and manga; reasons not to use comics as a stepping stone to getting your movie made; living with the creative impulse; the relative lack of diverse voices in American comics; and more.
The panel:
Ed Siemienkowicz, creator of the comic Chrome and Dust, and also of the Voice of the Republic podcast (and Deconstructing Comicsepisode 227);
Dale Lazarov, writer of gay erotic comics such as Nightlife and Manly (and previously heard in Deconstructing Comicsepisode 202);
Tim Across America, pt 1! Tim visits with the New York Aspiring Comic Creators Club, a networking group for some guys who are trying to get their comics made and seen while they earn their livings doing other kinds of art. What story points do they find is easier, or harder, to get across in sequential art form? How are they publicizing their work? That and more.
Also, in Ask a Retailer, Tim talks to Matt Seneca at Bergen Street Comics, where they’ve announced that most Marvel and DC books will no longer be shelved. Why not?
In the early ’90s, Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell’s From Hell, based on the true story of Jack the Ripper, was published in issues, and collected in 1999. Kumar and Dana find that, upon re-reading (or re-re-re-reading), new questions still arise. What’s the story about? Why does the killer sometimes come off as a wise prophet? Many scenes are simply puzzling and need sufficient time to unpack. And then there’s the Star Wars reference…
Also this week, Kumar and Mulele discuss their upcoming Kickstarter project for Weird Crime Theater!