Deconstructing Comics

Paper Girls is an intricately-plotted time-travel story by Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang. Scientist and comics nerd Ryan Haupt joins Tim to talk about the series’ unanswered questions, animals (Tardigrades! Giant sloths!), character arcs, and more.

Hyperepics.com is a site showcasing a growing number of three-page comics, more or less of the “Amazing Stories” mold. In this episode we read many of them and talk about what we liked, and what we didn’t. In the most recent Deconstructing Comics, Mulele told Koom about the box of his wares that didn’t make it to TCAF. In this episode, Mulele gives us an update on his box and a look back at the overall TCAF experience. Plus, some listener mail! About “On Syntaphore” in Spanish

Koom’s visit to Toronto Comic Arts Festival 2018 included several table interviews and a longer wrap-up interview with Mulele on the process of signing up for TCAF, the many roadblocks he ran into on the trip itself, the payoff of attending, how TCAF compares with Tokyo cons, and more. (larger photos and time stamps below) 1:26 Harmony Becker, who tabled at Kaigai Manga Festa in Tokyo last year and was interviewed by Tim here, gives us an update 4:36 Mark Laliberte and Jonathan Dyck of the 4 Panel anthology 7:58 Molly Muldoon, co-writer of the graphic novel Dead Weight with past DCP guest Terry Blas 11:50 Mulele‘s TCAF story

In town for the Toronto Comic Arts Festival, comics power couple Eddie Campbell and Audrey Niffenegger talk to Koom in this episode about their new collaboration, called Bizarre Romance. We also get some tidbits about Audrey’s work on the sequel to her novel The Time Traveler’s Wife, and Eddie talks about coloring From Hell and his recent book The Goat-Getters. More from TCAF this Thursday!

A comic strip gag can be a deceptively simple thing. Once you take it about — “deconstruct” it, one might say — you find that it actually has many moving parts. Paul Karasik and Mark Newgarden‘s How to Read “Nancy” takes a close look at each of those parts — as well as arguing persuasively for Bushmiller’s underrated artistic chops, and giving us some comic-strip history as well. Tim and Patrick review. PLUS: Roland Mann, Dean Zachary, and Kevin Gallegly join Tim to talk about the return of Cat and Mouse!

A werewolf. A female assassin. A grieving father. Varga Balint Bank and Vadas Mate’s Fallen Ones weaves their stories together in a well-thought-out way. The Five of Us: It All Starts Here, from Sean Conway, Bangkit Myarso, Arief Reza Erlangga, and Dreadink, gives us a group of young African-American men who happen onto Power Rangers-type powers. Yeah, but what’s the actual story here? Tim and Mulele review.

Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto, about a school for ninja, ran from 1999 to 2014. What’s appealing about this series to kids? In this episode, Kumar asks a kid — his own 10-year-old son, Ashwin! Kumar’s been reading it himself, so father and son exchange takes on the comic, including what it was about the anime version that didn’t measure up to the manga, and Ashwin’s favorite Naruto character.

Old Man of the Mountain issue 1, by Tom Rapka and Ariez Hernandez, includes an execution-style murder and three teens getting brutally, graphically cut to pieces. And yet, somehow it feels like it’s not meant to be a horror series. What is this comic trying to do? That question goes double for On Syntaphore, by Lion’s Lips, because, while the art is attractive, the story is hard to discern — and even the reason for that isn’t quite clear. Tim and Mulele discuss both, and also some listener mail, and Mulele’s upcoming trip to the Toronto Comic Arts Festival!

While Alan Moore and J.H. Williams’ Promethea, published from 1999 to 2005, is not one of Moore’s most remembered works, it’s not because the author wasn’t at the top of his game. Kumar and Emmet find it to be entrancing, even if you don’t buy into the various magical and spiritual elements that Moore built into it. Also, inevitably, the incorporation of Promethea and other Moore creations into the DC Universe comes up; is it really just a business decision, or is the publisher singling out Moore’s work out of spite?

Tim and Mulele critique a couple of history-based comics: A Light Before the Darkness by Ken Mora and Cyrus Mescarcia tells the story of an artist named Michelangelo — but no, not that one. It’s about Michelangelo Da Caravaggio Di Merisi, often known simply as “Caravaggio”. Mora seems to have done his homework, but has he given us a reason to buy into his subject? The Satsuma Rebellion is Sean Michael Wilson and Akiko Shimojima’s retelling of the titular event in Japanese history. We found it interesting — but then, we live in Japan. ALSO: Mulele’s “PSA” about what to look for when signing (or, perhaps, NOT signing) a contract with a publisher.

Chris Stevens, a comics writer and editor who has co-edited two volumes of the anthology series Once Upon a Time Machine (the second volume is newly released) talks with Koom about Frank Miller’s work, Chris’ time with Philadelphia indy publisher Locust Moon, income inequality among comics creators, and of course, some of the stories he’s edited for the anthologies.

A woman with glowing eyes enters a home, tells the cat that she’s there with Kristen. A man is dying after a superhero battle; after he’s recognized, he tells an acquaintance “Don’t tell Kristen.” Question: Who is Kristen!? That’s just one of the many things we have trouble figuring out about Vengeance, Nevada, by BJ Mendelson and Piotr Czaplarski. One thing we had no trouble figuring out: Daniel Arruda Massa and Nick Marino are on a roll. After wowing us with their irreverent but undeniably skillful Holy F*ck and Holy F*cked, they’re back with Teenage Mutant Ninja Pizza, a comic that totally shouldn’t work, but does. Tim and Mulele open the box and dig in.

This week, three interviews that Koom got at Toronto Comicon, in a special two-hour episode! Dave Dorman is best known for his Star Wars art, as well as other fantasy work, and even some Batman. Here he talks about being one of the first students at the Kubert School, and the lasting friendships he made there with other now-famous names, and about his approach to painting, including doing likenesses. Howard Mackie entered Marvel in 1984 as an editor, and eventually became the writer on such characters as Ghost Rider, Iron Man, and Spider-Man. He talks about that transition, working with the guys who would later form Image Comics, and what he’s done since leaving Marvel. John McCrea is best known for his work with Garth Ennis on such works as Troubled Souls, Hitman, and Section 8. What’s it like working with Garth? Why should you avoid doing work that goes against your publisher’s expectations? Why did he set out to do a different kind of comics than the type he’s seemingly best suited for?

Two manga-influenced titles are up for critique this time. First, in Kyle Fast’s JYNX, a white-furred monkey takes off to find adventure, leaving his guardian in the lurch. Then, organized crime gangs face off in Kitito Minami’s Dark Soul. Tim and Mulele give their opinions and advice. Check out Mulele’s Kickstarter project!

Peter Bagge’s HATE was an amazing hit for a ’90s indy comic, outselling some Big Two titles. Tim, Kumar, and Tom Spurgeon talk about some of the amazing aspects of this strip, and discuss whether it’s accurate to classify it as a comic about slackers.