#745 Noah Van Sciver and “Joseph Smith and the Mormons”

Joseph Smith and the Mormons

Joseph Smith and the Mormons is an objective look at the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Author and artist Noah Van Sciver took a bit of heat from the church for not portraying things in line with church teaching. Adam interviews Noah in this episode, as they compare notes on moving on from their respective religious upbringings, plus Noah describes his process and tools, adjusting to fatherhood, and what kind of comics work to do next.

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#744 “Fist of the North Star”

Fist of the North Star

If you’re looking for over-the-top — way, way over — action and violence, then Fist of the North Star, by Buronson and Tetsuo Hara, is the comic for you! Kumar and Jordan breathlessly recount their experience reading the comic, which — despite the ridiculousness of the story — is done sincerely, not cynically.

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Critiquing Comics #219: “Rougarou” and “The Poet and the Flea”

Rougarou-Flea

This week, a Critiquing Comics double feature:

During the U.S. Civil War, a confederate soldier is changed into a dangerous creature by a mysterious woman. His comrade, now a marshal, tracks him after the war as he takes more innocent victims. But is everything as it appears? Tim and Jason enjoy the twist in Rougarou, by Giles Clark and Jose Rondon.

Our second entry takes us further back in history, to 1790, when poet-painter William Blake claims to have met a horrific lizardlike creature, the Ghost of a Flea. GE Gallas’ The Poet and the Flea presents a take on Blake’s work and experiences. Emmet joins Tim to school all of us in Blake. What kind of image does it give us of Blake, and is it accurate? And, is this comic of interest to non-Blake fans?

Everyone is Tulip got an Eisner nomination! Hear our review and creator interview here.

Noel Fielding: Ghost of a Flea’s birthday song

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#743 “Stray Bullets”

Stray Bullets

David Lapham’s Stray Bullets “humanist crime” series began in 1995 and shows a number of characters interacting between the 1970s and 1990s, with the stories told nonsequentially. Kumar and Matt dodge the bullets to turn in this review.

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#742 “Crisis on Infinite Earths”

Crisis on Infinite Earths

Crisis on Infinite Earths was an attempt by Marv Wolfman and George Perez to clean up DC Comics continuity and make the publisher’s line more reader-friendly. The story showed the Anti-Monitor trying to eliminate all of the many versions of Earth that had appeared in DC stories, and the few surviving Earths ended up merged into one. Numerous characters didn’t make it through the story alive; characters whose original, defunct publishers had been absorbed by DC now found themselves to be native to Earth-1. Tim, on a drive to understand more about the DC Comics he passed by in his youth, is joined by longtime DC reader Professor Alan to look at why this event happened, why it still matters, and what it reveals about the difference between DC and Marvel.

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“Ant-Man” (2015)

Ant Man

It’s another episode of TIM CATCHES UP WITH THE MCU, in which we wrap up Phase Two with Ant-Man. When this movie was released in 2015, some thought this might be where Marvel Studios would finally stumble. Did they? Tim and Mulele discuss. (Originally published September 14, 2019.)

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Critiquing Comics #218: “A Lungful of Brine”

A Lungful of Brine

This time, Jason introduces us to his former student Dan Tappan‘s first Kickstarter project, a nautical horror anthology with the appropriately horrifying title A Lungful of Brine. Tim joins him for a review.

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#741 Anneli Furmark

Walk Me to the Corner

Anneli Furmark is a Swedish illustrator and comics creator whose latest book is Walk Me to the Corner, in which two married middle-aged women become attracted to each other. Anneli talks with Koom (at the Toronto Comic Arts Festival) about why this book isn’t an LGBT book, about her painting technique and layout choices, and more.

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#740 Gary Spencer Millidge (“Strangehaven”) interview

Strangehaven

Strangehaven is a series started by Gary Spencer Millidge in 1995. As he does everything himself (including publishing, for the first 18 issues), it has come out on an irregular schedule, but the content has been compelling. Kumar talks with him about how far he might be from completing the series, his process, his life-Strangehaven balance, and more.

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Critiquing Comics #217: “Scion of Night” #1

Scion of Night

A man in Portland, Oregon, finds himself turning into some kind of neck-biting monster (a blue vampire who doesn’t mind sunlight?), but he can’t remember anything about who he is. What’s causing this? Past drug use? Psychiatric issues? Tim and Jason discuss Tatu Heikkinen‘s Scion of Night #1: “The City of Roses.”

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