This week we tackle a couple of recent mini-comics: Chafed by James Mitchell and Evan Spears, and Kid with a Cape by Dave Castro. We also touch on how to pull off a successful first issue, and one possible future for US mainstream comics.
“Chafed” on Deviant Art (registration required to bypass adults-only filter)
“Kid with a Cape” (info on issue 2)
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Tim and Brandon take on two graphic novels: First, Vera Brosgol’s ghost/coming to America/coming-of-age story “Anya’s Ghost”; then, Paul Pope’s sci-fi/relationship/drug story “Heavy Liquid”.
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Dan Kanemitsu talks with Tim about how he and others in the manga industry have responded to the new Tokyo censorship law. The conversation also covers the differences, and interactions, between American and Japanese comics, the creative freedom enjoyed by women in Japanese comics, and much more.
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At a panel at San Diego Comicon last month, Dan DiDio (bottom picture at left) caused a stir by seeming belligerent when a fan asked why the DC reboot included fewer female creators — even fewer than had worked on for DC pre-reboot. DiDio seemed to think there were hardly any female comics creators he could consider. Hear it here
Jake Ekiss was probably not alone in expressing disapproval of this sentiment — in this case, on Twitter. So Tim invited him to come on the podcast and discuss it here. (Jake’s comic is Solomon Azua.)
Joining Tim and Jake is one of those female comics creators the mainstream isn’t hiring, EK Weaver, creator of the Web comic The Less than Epic Adventures of TJ and Amal (that’s Amal in the top picture at left). We discuss why women are so much further out of the comics mainstream in the US than they are in, oh say, Japan.
Also this week, Tim’s former day-job office mate Cassey, now based in Anchorage, joins Tim to discuss Bryan Lee O’Malley’s pre-Scott Pilgrim work Lost at Sea, the coming-of-age story of 18-year-old Raleigh (middle picture).
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written by JM DeMatteis, art by Seth Fisher
DC Comics, 2011.
If the idea of Green Lantern as a giant disembodied floating head who can’t even speak because he’s got his mouth full with a buxom six-armed bartender, an alien beatnik, and an angel in cutoff jeans and a t-shirt sounds appealing, then, boy, is this the comic for you!
Continue reading Review: DC Comics Presents Green Lantern: Willworld
You’ve probably seen any number of how-to books about writing comics, coloring, etc. Comics industry veteran Buddy Scalera has just published a book that shows how those pieces fit together: “Creating Comics from Start to Finish”. Buddy talks to Tim about his reasons for writing the book, the business side of comics, how looking behind the curtain can increase the magic, and the future of comics.
Then, Tim and guest reviewer Shawn Williams take a close look at Buddy’s book.
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Armed with an awesome press pass, Tim walks the floor of Seattle’s Emerald City Comicon! It’s his first time attending a con, and as everyone keeps telling him, for a first-con experience, you can’t beat Emerald City. As he gathers material for future episodes of this podcast, Tim collects quick interviews, with creators known and unknown! All the names and links are below!
Tim’s Emerald City photo album on Facebook!
Continue reading #268 Emerald City 2011, pt 1!
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Jamie Delano never set out to be a comics writer. His high school friend, a bloke by the name of Alan Moore, was big into comics, but Delano was not a comics reader. It was only at Moore’s suggestion, many years later, that Delano tried out, doing some work for Marvel UK, then landing the job writing Moore’s John Constantine character in the Hellblazer title as it launched in 1987. The rest is history. Delano is nice enough to give some of his time to Tim for an interview.
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FIVE YEARS of “Deconstructing Comics”! We celebrate with a retro lineup (Tim, Mulele, and Brandon, plus Kumar) discussing the topic that we always used to accidentally end up talking about anyway: Star Wars! Specifically, Dark Horse’s Star Wars Tales #20, an issue in which various indie creators took a crack at the Star Wars characters. Especially Jar Jar.
Also, our reactions to the trailer for the Green Lantern movie. Have all these superhero movies run their course?
A fun (if rather ribald and un-p.c.) conversation!
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Comixology.com, which first appeared as a comics information site with pull lists, surprised a lot of people when it branched into selling major-publisher comics for the iPhone. Says CEO David Steinberger: “A lot of people see this as transforming; we see it as following our business plan.” This week Steinberger talks to Tim about formatting print comics for electronic viewing, why electronic comics are not a threat to print, and the possibility of e-rotic e-comics.
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