by Benjamin Marra
Traditional Comics, 2011
Of all the comic covers I’ve seen featuring superheroes pummeling Nazis, this one takes the cake. And if you can’t handle the cover, then I should point out now that you will find even everything in this review offensive.
In episode #300, we took a look at the sometimes wacky and cartoony Love & Rockets work of Jaime Hernandez. This week, Tim and Kumar are again joined by Tom Spurgeon to look at the somewhat darker, more violent and yet rather hard-to-pin-down work of Gilbert Hernandez in his stories of (or, sometimes merely tangentially related to) the isolated Mexican village of Palomar.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
by Gary Spencer Millidge
Ilex Press, 2011
Conflict of Interest Warning: I provided scans of some of the rare material featured in this book, and I have a “Thanks” credit in it.
When this book was first announced, many of us Alan Moore fans were expecting a prose biography (the first) of Alan Moore. What we get instead is actually more like a coffee table art book chronological biography of the writings of Alan Moore.
FLASHBACK! Monte Schulz, son of Charles, claims to have been “horrified” by the David Michaelis bio of his father. Should he have been? (Originally published November 24, 2008)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
by Herge
translated by Leslie Lonsdale-Cooper and Michael Turner
Egmont, 2004
Herge began his final Tintin album — the 24th — in 1978, and it remained unfinished at the time of his death. This book is kind of a behind the scenes look at his working process. It showcases the work he did complete on it: thumbnails for most of the album (mostly stick-figure doodles really, sometimes just words in a panel), and a dialog script.
Wait. That might not be entirely accurate. It’s unclear from what’s presented how Herge actually worked.
FLASHBACK! Leading into our review of David Michaelis’ controversial Schulz biography, “Schulz and Peanuts,” Tim and Kumar talk about the strip itself, how it influenced what came after, and how, in politics and social issues, it took no sides — and all sides. (originally published November 17, 2008)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
A submission from the Philippines! Josel Nicolas sent us four issues of his Windmills series. While Tim and Mulele have some fairly harsh words for it, at the same time, we can see definite issue-to-issue improvement.
See sample pages of Windmills
Available as an e-book from Amazon or FlipReads.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
by Jon McNaught
Nobrow Press, 2010. Hardcover, 38 pages.
This is a book of astonishing beauty, pure and simple.
Birchfield Close is one of those not-common-enough books that’s not really about narrative, but about trying to represent sensory experience in comics. To some degree McNaught’s work resembles that of Chris Ware, but evacuated of story.
FLASHBACK! Tim and Brandon snack while examining Houdini: The Handcuff King and 24-hour Comics Day Highlights 2006! (Originally published May 21, 2007) Continue reading #076 “Houdini, the Handcuff King”
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Mulele stumbled across a wacky, partially translated Korean comic. We’re not sure of the title (if it has one), but the creator’s name is Yang Young-Soon. Tim and Mulele discuss.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
