#329 “Flex Mentallo” and related issues

Flex MentalloIs Flex Mentallo just a superhero story or is it something far more? Does it speak only to comic book fans or can it say something for everyone? Is it about childhood, adulthood, drugs, loss, hope, despair, the comic book marketplace, pain, healing, or all of these at the same time? And do you have to be on acid to understand Grant Morrison, or does it just help? Writer Troy Belford and indie cartoonist John Linton Roberson go on and on about all of this, and it’s a bit beyond the usual. Have a listen to this special mega-length episode…IF YOU DARE.

John blogs about Flex

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#328 “Shadowlaw” and finding a collaborator

ShadowlawFirst up this week, an interview with Brandon Easton, creator of Shadowlaw and also writer of an episode of the new Thundercats series. Shadowlaw took well over a decade to come to fruition due to the nearly endless difficulties Easton had with finding a reliable artist. He shares his advice for finding a collaborator for your own project.

Our own Mulele had some problems as the hired artist for a couple of comics projects when he tried his luck in Los Angeles six years ago. The experience was a harrowing one — more so than we realized at the time. Mulele tells all, and also talks about his next career steps — including a trip to a convention!

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#327 Two Tales of the Near East

Prince of Persia and HabibiCall it Orientalism, but Middle Eastern culture still carries a hint of romance in the Western imagination. This week, Tim and Brandon discuss two books in that vein:

Prince of Persia, by Jordan Mechner, AB Sina, LeUyen Pham and Alex Puvilland, coasts on notions of romance and intrigue in ancient Persia; meanwhile,

Habibi, by Craig Thompson, takes hold of Arabian Nights-type notions — as well as Islam — and uses them to express more universal themes.

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#326 Three Views of San Diego Comicon

Three Views of San Diego ComiconThis week, Tim talks to three guys who participated in San Diego Comicon earlier this month, to see what their objectives were for being there, how it went, and their advice to SDCC newbies.

Dale Wilson, who wrote up his experience at BuyIndieComics.com, on why he left “unfulfilled” in some ways, but enjoyed it in other ways;

Justin Hall, who we last talked to in March of last year, on promoting his Fantagraphics book “No Straight Lines” and Prism Comics, as well as the sideline indie comics gathering Trickster; and

Robert Roach, a veteran of San Diego tabling, on his Japanese influences, networking, and more.

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#325 Alan Moore’s “Swamp Thing”

Swamp ThingDue perhaps to the passage of time, poorly handled reprinting by DC, or some other reason, Alan Moore’s writing stint on Swamp Thing in the 1980s does not seem to get mentioned much today. Which is a shame, because it ranks with Moore’s best work. And the art by Stephen Bissette and John Totleben (and able fill-in artists) is worth the price of admission by itself, not to mention Tatjana Wood’s colors.

Tim and Kumar had a blast reading the early issues of the run (#21-37) and are here to share the experience with you.

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REVIEW: Supergods – What Masked Vigilantes, Miraculous Mutants, and a Sun God from Smallville Can Teach Us About Being Human

By Grant Morrison

Spiegel & Grau 2011

Grant Morrison is a decisive subject in comics. Many love his work. Many love to hate his work. Many just don’t know what to think of him.

What Morrison delivers with Supergods is a unique text about comics. It is part history, part deconstructionist analysis, part personal memoir, part reflexive view of his own work. It is a varied and interesting book that provides some fascinating insight into his ideas about the superhero.

The book follows a basic chronological structure that is divided along 4 ages: Golden Age, Silver Age, Modern Age, and Renaissance (starting the late 1990s). He deconstructs covers of famous comics such as Action #1, Detective #27, and The Dark Knight Returns #1. Certain key characters and stories are reflected on. It is not really any unique ground that is tread as far as the history of comics is concerned, were it not for Morrison’s uncanny intellectualizing of the materials in a way that augments their historicism with a psychological attention reflection on the material. Continue reading REVIEW: Supergods – What Masked Vigilantes, Miraculous Mutants, and a Sun God from Smallville Can Teach Us About Being Human

The Dark Silliness of Fear Itself: Deadpool

The Dark Silliness of Fear Itself: Deadpool

By Neil Tomblin

Remember rapper MC Hammer? He was the rapper who always said, “It’s hammer time!” This catchphrase resurfaced in Marvel Comics’ Deadpool story arc of “Fear Itself.” “Fear Itself” was a big event that included many different books that feature various Marvel superheroes. The basis of each story deals with magical Thor-like hammers that fall to the sky and endow different Marvel characters with powers. These stories are also an analysis of current events that have brought fear to America. One of the “Fear Itself” stories that stood out for me was “Fear Itself: Deadpool.” This story arc was funny and action-packed.

One thing I kind of never understood about the Deadpool comics is all of the comedy. The name Deadpool sounds so dark and hardcore that one would think to make the Deadpool’s stories dark. Deadpool’s suit even looks hardcore. Instead of getting the ruff stories that are featured in DC Comics’ Deathstrike comic book series, we get the slapstick humor in Deapool’s stories. How does Spiderman get the dark stories, but Deadpool gets the stories that makes Deadpool look like a parody of himself? However, as I began to read more into this Deadpool story, the comedy began to grow on me.

Continue reading The Dark Silliness of Fear Itself: Deadpool

Critiquing Comics #026: “Super Haters” and our thoughts about critiquing

Super HatersDoes “giving a critique” mean “stating an opinion”? Or, as some fans of a comic we discussed a few weeks ago imply, does it demand total objectivity? Is that even possible? And, by the way, what’s the difference between a critique and a review? Tim and Mulele discuss these questions before going on to critique Super Haters by Nick Marino and Justique Woolridge.

Critique vs. Review:

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