#777 Jack Kirby’s “Kamandi” #29-31: “Up, up, and away!”

Kamandi #29

As we continue through Jack Kirby‘s 1970s issues of Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth, Tim and Emmet keep slowing down! In this episode, nearly 30 minutes go into discussing Kamandi’s encounter with Superman’s (inexplicably undamaged) costume, and so only three issues, 29 through 31, are examined, but what issues they are! Kirby also references Gulliver’s Travels here, and… wait, didn’t we see this on a Queen album cover? Well, it’s not quite that simple….

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#776 Emily Carrington reveals “Our Little Secret”

Our Little SecretOpenly discussing being sexually abused, particularly if it was during childhood, is not easy. Emily Carrington has stepped forward with her memoir of being abused as a teenager, Our Little Secret, in the hope that others in her position will be moved to get help. The book recently won the Lynd Ward Graphic Novel Prize. This week, she talks with Koom about her struggle, making the book and getting it published, and what’s next. (This episode does contain references to childhood trauma and childhood sexual abuse, and may be triggering for some people.)

Emily on TikTok

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#775 Rina Ayuyang draws (on) her Filipino heritage

Rina Ayuyang

Rina Ayuyang has called on her Filipino heritage in her graphic novels Blame This On the Boogie and, just out, The Man in the McIntosh Suit. This time, Adam talks with her about using historical photo reference, doing comics digitally vs paper, Lynda Barry’s influence on her work, and more.

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Critiquing Comics #232: “Sons of Thunder” and “The Lamb”

Sons of Thunder and The Lamb

Critiquing Comics is back, with discussions of two interesting comics from listeners. Stephen Grow sent us Sons of Thunder, a one-panel cartoon aimed at Christians and reflecting life in a small-town church, but likely with wider appeal. Then, Kristin Tipping (now going by “Tin Tipping”) returns with a creepy barnyard tale, The Lamb.

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#774 Jack Kirby’s “Kamandi” #24-28: Havin’ a look-see for some fight-fight

While Kamandi‘s exorcism story in issue 24 leaves something to be desired, never mind that: the subsequent four issues, as discussed in this episode, deliver the kinds of interesting concepts we’ve come to expect, as Kamandi and Ben visit the Dominion of Devils, fight Sacker’s Co. and their environment-destroying activities, and find out what the intelligent animals of Europe have been up to. Oh, and there are flying sharks!

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#773 Jack Kirby’s “Kamandi” #19-23: On to Monster Lake!

Kamandi pt 3

In this segment of Jack Kirby’s Kamandi series, we visit a version of 1920s Chicago that seems to be drawing on, or prefiguring, various other pop culture stories, and then move on to Monster Lake, home of intelligent, talking — and sometimes romantically inclined! — dolphins and killer whales. Kirby’s war experience again figures in a story, perhaps a fantasy about what he’d have liked to say to a warmongering general. Tim and Emmet try to get their sea legs for some very wet stories.


Jack Kirby, from Kamandi issue 1

Don Ahe

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#772 Evan McGorray and a translation about being trans

Call Me Nathan

Translation is a topic seldom covered on this show (Kumar has talked about it several times, most notably here). This time Emmet talks with French-to-English comics translator Evan McGorray about translating Catherine Castro and Quentin Zuttion’s Call Me Nathan, about a trans teen.

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“Spider-Man: Homecoming” (2017)

Spider-Man: Homecoming

Spider-man is a longtime favorite of Tim’s, in terms of comics reading, but how does he feel about Spider-Man: Homecoming? Particularly in light of the fact that it’s the first live-action Spider-Man he’s watched since 1979… Mulele joins Tim to review the 2017 film. (Originally published on Patreon November 4, 2019.)

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#771 Jose Villarrubia on restoring Richard Corben

Den

Colorist Jose Villarrubia had trouble getting work from Marvel because his style was “too artistic” — but then other creators started asking for him, and he’s colored many Marvel titles since then. He’s also done photo art for Alan Moore‘s Voice of the Fire and The Mirror of Love. This August, a new edition of Richard Corben‘s Den, with color corrections by Villarrubia, will be released by Dark Horse. What can Corben fans look forward to in this new edition? And, why do recolored comics sometimes look Gaudy? Villarrubia covers all this in a talk with Kumar.

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#770 Jack Kirby’s “Kamandi” #11-18: Kliklak forever

Kamandi This week we continue our look at Jack Kirby’s run on Kamandi, another of the DC properties he created. Tim and Emmet find that issues 11 through 18 include a giant insect, a violent horse race, another standout issue in the mode of issue 7’s King Kong story, a clue as to how the animals became intelligent, and more.

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