Critiquing Comics #110: “The Non-Seen” chapter two

The Non-Seen Ch 2

A couple years back we critiqued the first chapter of a Web comic called The Non-Seen, by John Allie. It’s a slightly creepy story about a mysterious book, and the protagonists are kids. Now chapter two is completed, and we’ve been invited to take a look at it. Is the promise of chapter one paying off? Has he changed anything that we found lacking the first time?

#544 Gerhard

Dino's Cafe

At last month’s Toronto Comicon, Koom got a chance to sit down with Gerhard, most famous for drawing backgrounds and environments for (and NOT inking!) Dave Sim’s Cerebus. Koom talks with him about working with Dave Sim and navigating some of Sim’s more controversial moments; the ergonomics of comics creation; working with Grant Morrison on “Smile of the Absent Cat” in Heavy Metal; and more.

Continue reading #544 Gerhard

#543 Jeff Smith

Bone cousins

Jeff Smith wanted to do a newspaper comic strip, but he couldn’t sell his idea, so he ended up self-publishing it. Bone eventually caught on, and now it has a color edition from GRAPHIX and it might become a movie!

Jeff Smith joins Tim in this episode to talk about how he got started with self-publishing, why he decided to have Grandma Ben raise cows, why Bone became less funny in the later volumes, and more; plus, answers to some lingering questions from our review of his book RASL!

Critiquing Comics #109: “Turtle Girl” and “Wanderer”

Turtle Girl and Wanderer

Completing our look at Irrational Comics’ “PITCH” page, this time Tim and Mulele discuss Michael Norwitz’s “absurdist feminist heroine” Turtle Girl and Andre Mateus’ post-apocalyptic vampire story Wanderer!

#542 “We’re family”: Luke & Danny, Alan & Emily

Power Man and Iron Fist

This week we cross over with Shortbox Showcase, of the Relatively Geeky podcast network! Professor Alan and daughter Emily join Tim to fill us in on their comics-reading and podcast-making background, and then to discuss Power Man and Iron Fist v.1 by David Walker, Sanford Greene, and Flaviano — with digressions into differences between Marvel and DC, how society surely must work in the Marvel Universe, and more!

#541 Kyoto Manga Museum

Kyoto Manga Museum

Most people don’t equate the ancient city of Kyoto, Japan, with comics, but that happens to be the location of a museum and reading library of comics from Japan and around the world. Tim visited The Kyoto International Manga Museum recently, and this week he discusses it with Kobe-based comics creator Graeme McNee.

Also, a stopoff in Nagoya to chat with Adam Pasion, head of Big Ugly Robot Press, and co-organizer of the Comic Art Tokyo event.

Continue reading #541 Kyoto Manga Museum