Deconstructing Comics Podcast, published every Monday, features comics creator discussion and comics reviews.
The series Love & Rockets, featuring individual works by the Hernandez brothers, started in 1981 as a self-published magazine, but was quickly picked up by Fantagraphics. Over the last 30 years, the brothers’ work has continued to develop & astound. This week Tim and Kumar take a look at the Love & Rockets work of Jaime Hernandez, with special guest (and former Fantagraphics employee) Tom Spurgeon!
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A couple months ago on Deconstructing Comics, Tim talked to Reed Greenfield, creator of Z-Blade XX. This week, Tim and Mulele read and critique the first issue…uh, sorry, Reed, better hold on to your hat!
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The @#$%ing Death Metal showdown that had to happen! It’s Kiminori Wakasugi’s Detroit Metal City versus Metalocalypse Dethklok created by Brendan Small, in our most explicit episode ever! How is is possible for TWO Death Metal comedy franchises to suddenly appear at the same time?! Thanks to the flimsy pretext of a Dethklok licenced comic finally being published, Kumar and newcomer-to-the-show Dana discuss Metal, the @#$% joke filled DMC manga, Metal, the @#$% joke-free DMC live-action movie, and Metal; compared with the Dethklok TV show and comic (including Dethklok vs The Goon, written and drawn by Eric Powell), and Metal. Plus: how censoring yourself is totally @#$%ing UN-Metal!! @#$% on!!
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Periphery is an anthology comic published by Omaha Perez Press, the first issue of which came out in 2004. Which doesn’t stop Tim & Mulele from digging it up and critiquing all the stories in it!
Periphery at San Diego Comicon 2004
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Villains we love to hate! Villains who could have been good guys but made bad choices! What makes the more interesting villain? Are the two types mutually exclusive? Why are some villains really compelling, while others become the butt of jokes? What makes a villain menacing? How is it different in comics compared to movies or TV? Tim and newcomer Kevin Horton discuss.
Other discussions of this question:
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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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A comic about teaching English in Japan, discussed by two English teachers in Japan! Fried Chicken and Sushi by Khalid Birdsong!
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Harold Gray’s Little Orphan Annie debuted in 1924 and was a big success. FDR having not yet turned him against organized labor, Gray shows hardworking Annie going on strike in one of her many jobs. Tim and Kumar discuss the ’20s strips, their strengths and idiosyncrasies (one strip=one day?!), and how Gray’s outlook changed later.
The Eternal Orphan (stevestiles.com)
Legends Revealed! (comicbookresources.com)
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This week’s submission: “Camp Sleep Over“, a near-dadaistic comic from Josh Quick.
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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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