Deconstructing Comics Podcast, published every Monday, features comics creator discussion and comics reviews.
11/16/09 Web comics portfolio sites
Another Web comics discussion, this time looking at two artists’ portfolio sites: Jordyn Bochon’s 8et8.net, and Aaron Diaz’s Dresdencodak.com. Both have their awesome points, but neither is perfect. Tim and Mulele weigh the good and not-so-good points.
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11/9/09 What is “good coloring”?
If you’ve been feeling like mainstream comics coloring is sometimes over-rendered, hyper-realistic, and/or muddy, you’re not alone. Ron Richards has been very vocal in, er, expressing his displeasure with it on the iFanboy podcast. Ron joins Tim and colorist Brian Miller of Hi-Fi Design to discuss the reasons the color turns out that way, problems that colorists should learn to avoid, and, well, just what is “good coloring” anyway?
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3/10/08 Brian Miller and Hi-Fi Design
FLASHBACK! Marvel & DC colorist Brian Miller joins us to talk about how colorists get work in comics, coloring techniques, and more!
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In the beginning, there was Hellboy. Well, the beginning of Deconstructing Comics, anyway. Brandon and Mulele are both longtime connoisseurs of Mike Mignola’s work, and in early episodes, the work being discussed was often held up to Hellboy for comparison. And yet, until now, we’ve never actually reviewed Hellboy! Tim and Mulele rectify that by looking at Seed of Destruction, Wake the Devil, and The Conqueror Worm. What really worked in those stories, and what probably could have been better? And what connection does Tim make between Hellboy and the band REM?
Plus: A Mulele update!
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10/26/09 Chris Bachalo clears things up
Chris Bachlo’s art has long had a compelling style to it, and yet it was sometimes very difficult to decipher just what was happening on some of his pages. This was perhaps particularly pronounced in his work on Steam Punk with Joe Kelly, back at the turn of the millennium. But his recent work on such Marvel titles as Amazing Spider-Man and New Avengers has been completely clear and easy to understand. What did he change to clear things up? And, by the way — will Steam Punk ever be completed?!
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Writing erotic comics? What’s so hard about writing a story about sex? Dale Lazarov, writer of gay erotic comics like “Sticky,” “Manly,” and the forthcoming “Nightlife,” talks about the challenges of writing erotic comics, and of dialog-free comics.
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Rumiko Takahashi is Japan’s leading female cartoonist and has created series that are loved the world over. Tim and Kumar discuss two of her series: “Ranma 1/2”, about a gender-switching martial arts master, and “Inuyasha”, about a 16th-century demon, a 20th-century high school girl, and a powerful jewel.
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A 200th episode extravaganza!
St. Louis resident Matt Kindt, creator of Super Spy, has been hard at work on several new titles, set at various points in the 20th century. Matt tells us what’s coming up and answers a few questions about Super Spy.
Tracy Butler, also of St. Louis, shares Matt’s interest in comics set in the past — in particular, St. Louis in the 1920s. Her Web comic Lackadaisycats (now available as a book) is beautifully drawn, interesting, and hilarious.
Then Tim and Mulele respond to some recent mail from listeners, and Mulele gives his impressions of the Image series Chew!
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FLASHBACK! Top Shelf, publisher of Alex Robinson’s Tricked and Box Office Poison, has published another masterpiece: Matt Kindt’s Super Spy! Also: Tripwire magazine’s list of top graphic novels, and an impromptu discussion of Steve Canyon! (Plus: thrill to Tim’s undeveloped editing skills circa 2007!)
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Repeatedly collected and published since it went into the public domain, Winsor McCay’s Little Nemo is perhaps the most celebrated comic strip of the early 20th century. Peter Maresca, whose Sunday Press republished all the Nemo strips at their original size a few years back, talks with Tim about what’s good and bad about the strip, and the influence it still has on modern comics.
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