Critiquing Comics #168: David Dye interview

In our December 25 episode, we reviewed two more comics from David Dye. While we’ve generally been very positive about his work, there was one bit that Mulele called “Racist AF” and Tim was also uncomfortable with (see below). David’s email in response to the episode made clear to us that the intent wasn’t racist… but then, what was it?

To find out, we invited David on our show, and he joins us from his home in Australia to discuss where his portrayal of space-terrorists went sideways, and to talk about his comics career so far.

#647 Tom Spurgeon Remembered

Tom Spurgeon remembered

Tom Spurgeon, a comics advocate, historian, and journalist, passed away on November 13, 2019. Tom was a frequent guest on this podcast, and had a huge impact on comics in general. In this episode, Tim and Kumar discuss his effect on the comics industry and his appearances on DCP. Then, Tim talks to three people who knew him well:

New York memorial for Tom on January 24

Comics Journal obit for Tom

Sequential Tart‘s interview with Tom and Dan from 2001

Tom’s appearances on our show:

#646 “New Teen Titans”: a turning point for DC

New Teen Titans

While Marv Wolfman and George Perez’s New Teen Titans (1980-1988) goes over the top with purple-prose narration and unsubtle plot points, it represents a turning point for DC Comics in a number of ways: it introduced many heroes and villains who are still around today; it was set in New York City, rather than some fictional burg; it was a major step toward getting DC to care as much about continuity as Marvel had for nearly 20 years. Patreon supporter Dylan joins Tim to discuss the first two years of this milestone series.

#645 Rumiko Takahashi’s ghosts and monsters

Rumiko Takahashi's manga

For more than 40 years, Rumiko Takahashi has been one of Japan’s premiere manga creators. Many of her titles center around “yokai” – Japanese ghosts and monsters. While some are specifically modeled after mythical beings well-known to Japanese, some are original creations. Patrick I-W has been looking into Takahashi’s monsters for one of his comics-themed presentations, and he fills us in on his findings in this episode.