#425 Aquaman: Why he’s not lame

Aquaman

While Aquaman has been around since 1941 and been through several badass incarnations, it seems everyone but dedicated Aquaman readers still thinks of him as the lightweight, Super Friends Aquaman. Tim, who’s been getting into the current Aquaman series, is joined this week by longtime Aquaman reader Emmet O’Cuana to sift through the character’s long history, various conflicting origin stories, costume changes, supporting cast, and more.

#424 Nathan Fairbairn’s coloring; we ask for “Seconds”!

Knives ChauWhile some colorists’ work can be recognized no matter what kind of story it is, Nathan Fairbairn says he prefers to start from scratch in his approach to each story he colors. While his colors on Bryan Lee O’Malley’s work tends to be bright (and often influenced by O’Malley’s own vision– such as the colors of Knives Chau’s scarf), his other work may be much more subdued.

Tim talks with him this week about how the style of comics coloring can affect how quickly or slowly people read the story, what can go wrong with colors and the printing stage, the history of comics coloring, and more.

#423 Rutu Modan: Emotional depth, tight plots

Exit WoundsIsraeli graphic novelist Rutu Modan has won acclaim for her books Exit Wounds (2007) and The Property (2013), both of which are so tightly plotted, with a number of twists and turns, that Tim and Kumar find them difficult to review spoiler-free. What’s remarkable, though, is the emotional depth in books that are so plot-driven, as well as their social commentary on Israeli society, how violence there has become banal, and the popularity of Jewish tours of Polish sites of the Holocaust. With all this going for the books, we simply have to talk about them! (With few spoilers!)

#422 A Friendly Sketcher and an Evil Diva

sketchfroWhile Chris Taylor goes by the pen name “Sketchfro“, he no longer has an afro and he does a whole lot more than sketch. An American living in Tokyo, he does freelance art, his own comics, and pro-level digital coloring. In this episode he talks about getting digital coloring right, drawing women with sex appeal, and the work he’ll be promoting at Tokyo’s International Comics Fest later this month.

evildivaWhen last we checked in on the Web comic Evil Diva, an artist needed to be paid and fans were being asked to cough up cash before the next page could be drawn. Now the comic is being published as a graphic novel, and will even get a cameo in an upcoming movie. Are the comics gods finally smiling on Evil Diva? Let’s ask the strip’s creator, Peter Menotti, and see.