Bryan Lee O’Malley – Deconstructing Comics

#583 CAT 2017, and Bryan Lee O’Malley!

Comic Art Tokyo

Tim attended CAT 2017 on November 25, with job one being a talk with Scott Pilgrim and Seconds creator Bryan Lee O’Malley! O’Malley answers some lingering questions from those books, and discusses the inconsistent censoring of cursing in Snotgirl, giving characters body language, why autobio comics are so popular, and what, if anything, he would change about his published work.

Tim also talked with a couple of other creators (many of the denizens of Artist’s Alley were the same ones we met at Kaigai Manga Festa in the past two episodes) and covered a workshop on Risograph Printing presented by Natalie Andrewson, Ryan Cecil Smith, and Grame McNee.

Also in this episode, we’ll hear from CAT co-organizer Adam Pasion about how this year’s event went, and lessons learned for next year.

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Continue reading #583 CAT 2017, and Bryan Lee O’Malley!

#444 “Scott Pilgrim”, Reconsidered

Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour

Years ago, when the Scott Pilgrim series was only half-finished, Tim and Brandon discussed it on this show. Since the series was completed, we’ve discussed Bryan Lee O’Malley’s other books (Lost at Sea and Seconds), causing Tim to reconsider Pilgrim, what O’Malley did right (and wrong) in the series, and what it all means.

This week, Tim and Kumar take on the whole six-volume series. Was it really necessary for Ramona to have so many exes? Did Scott end up with the right girl? These questions and more!

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#130 “Scott Pilgrim” and “Paul Has a Summer Job”

FLASHBACK! Tim and Brandon review of two Canadian coming-of-age comics: The first three volumes of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s “Scott Pilgrim” series, and “Paul Has a Summer Job” by Michel Rabagliati.

Listen carefully, because later this month, Tim and Cassey will discuss the entire series, and Tim’s take on it has changed…

ALSO: Give today to the Deconstructing Comics pledge drive!

Originally published June 2, 2008

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#424 Nathan Fairbairn’s coloring; we ask for “Seconds”!

While some colorists’ work can be recognized no matter what kind of story it is, Nathan Fairbairn says he prefers to start from scratch in his approach to each story he colors. While his colors on Bryan Lee O’Malley’s work tends to be bright (and often influenced by O’Malley’s own vision– such as the colors of Knives Chau’s scarf), his other work may be much more subdued.

Tim talks with him this week about how the style of comics coloring can affect how quickly or slowly people read the story, what can go wrong with colors and the printing stage, the history of comics coloring, and more.

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#419 “Seconds” and “Talbot Toluca”

Seconds and Talbot Toluca You know that feeling when you love an artist’s work, but then you get their next one, and feel like… ehh, the magic’s gone? Tim was afraid that would be his reaction to Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Seconds but, as he discusses with Cassey this week, his fears were completely misplaced!

Also this week, a discussion with Kenneth Kit Lamug. His picture book A Box Story won a Moonbeam Children’s Book Award, Pinnacle Book Achievement Award, a Children’s Literary Classics Seal of Approval, and was a National Indie Excellence Book Award finalist, all in 2012. Now trying his hand at comics, he recently funded a Kickstarter project for The Tall Tales of Talbot Toluca: Quest for the Ore Crystals. Tim talks with him about the Kickstarter, moving from illustration to comics, not quitting his day job, and more.

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#292 Women’s Issues

women's issues

FLASHBACK! At a panel at San Diego Comicon 2011, Dan DiDio (bottom picture at left) caused a stir by seeming belligerent when a fan asked why the DC reboot included fewer female creators — even fewer than had worked on for DC pre-reboot. DiDio seemed to think there were hardly any female comics creators he could consider. Hear it here

Jake Ekiss was probably not alone in expressing disapproval of this sentiment — in this case, on Twitter. So Tim invited him to come on the podcast and discuss it here. (Jake’s comic is Solomon Azua.)

Joining Tim and Jake is one of those female comics creators the mainstream isn’t hiring, EK Weaver, creator of the Web comic The Less than Epic Adventures of TJ and Amal (that’s Amal in the top picture at left). We discuss why women are so much further out of the comics mainstream in the US than they are in, oh say, Japan.

Also this week, Tim’s former day-job office mate Cassey, now based in Anchorage, joins Tim to discuss Bryan Lee O’Malley’s pre-Scott Pilgrim work Lost at Sea, the coming-of-age story of 18-year-old Raleigh (middle picture).

The Problem with Having Only 1% Female Creators at DC Comics (from Comics Alliance)
Petition to DC: Hire more women (at change.org)

Originally published August 29, 2011

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#292 Women’s Issues

women's issues

At a panel at San Diego Comicon last month, Dan DiDio (bottom picture at left) caused a stir by seeming belligerent when a fan asked why the DC reboot included fewer female creators — even fewer than had worked on for DC pre-reboot. DiDio seemed to think there were hardly any female comics creators he could consider. Hear it here

The Problem with Having Only 1% Female Creators at DC Comics (from Comics Alliance)
Petition to DC: Hire more women (at change.org)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS | More

#130 “Scott Pilgrim” and “Paul Has a Summer Job”

FLASHBACK! With the Scott Pilgrim movie coming soon, we re-present Tim and Brandon’s review of two Canadian coming-of-age comics: “Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life” by Bryan Lee O’Malley, and “Paul Has a Summer Job” by Michel Rabagliati (originally presented June 2, 2008)!