The Comics Alternative

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Comics Alternative Interviews: Michael Kupperman May 15, 2018

Show notes

Time Codes:

00:24 - Introduction
03:18 - Setup of interview
05:37 - Interview with Michael Kupperman
56:33 - Wrap up
58:16 - Contact us

On this interview episode, Gene and Derek are happy to have Michael Kupperman on the show to discuss his new book All the Answers, just out from Simon and Shuster's Gallery 13 imprint. Long-time fans of Kupperman will find a significant tonal shift from his earlier works such as Tales Designed to Thrizzle or Snake 'n' Bacon's Cartoon Cabaret. This new book is an emotional and probing look at his father, Joel Kupperman, and his time as one of the famous Quiz Kids of the 1940s and 1950s. Throughout this memoir, Kupperman investigate his father's history and attempts to understand how his time in the celebrity spotlight marked his life forever after...and at the same time, helped to determine his father's future behavior and his family's emotional trajectory. In this way, All the Answersserves not only as a way to understand his father, but as a means to grapple with Michael Kupperman's own sense of self and how he relates to his own family. Over the course of their conversation, Gene and Derek talk with Michael about the research that went into his new book, the genesis of the project, his efforts in pursuing this extremely sensitive family history, and how All the Answersmay be a stylistic turning point in his career.

Webcomics: The 2018 Eisner Awards Nominees for Best Webcomic May 14, 2018

Show notes

Time Codes:

00:00:28 - Introduction
00:02:52 - Sean recovers!
00:05:19 - Eisner Awards nominees overview
00:23:15 - Awaiting a Wave
00:32:35 - Dispatch from a Sanctuary City
00:45:04 - Welcome to the New World
01:03:09 - The Tea Dragon Society
01:18:41 - Brothers Bond
01:39:18 - Wrap up
01:43:44 - Contact us

After a month's hiatus -- and due to an accident that Sean suffered (although he's recovering now!) -- the Two Guys are back with their latest webcomics episode. And since it's Eisner Awards season, Sean and Derek decided to discuss the nominees for this year's Best Webcomic category. As listeners may remember, last year the guys were quite critical of the Eisner Awards judges. While they finally took the long-overdue step in separating webcomics from digital comics, they nonetheless seemed to have no clear understanding of what defined a webcomic. They included webcomics in the Best Digital Comic category, and digital comics in the Best Webcomic category. This year, the judges seemed to have correctly understood the distinctions, although Sean and Derek still have questions as to the parameters and qualifications as to the choices and decision-making process. Then again, theirs may not be to wonder why, but to discuss critically the webcomics under consideration. And the guys have a fruitful discussion concerning this year's nominees:

Awaiting a Wave, by Dale Carpenter and Nate Powell (The Weather Channel Digital)
Brothers Bond, by Kevin Grevioux and Ryan Benjamin (Webtoons)
Dispatch from a Sanctuary City, by Mike Dawson (The Nib)
The Tea Dragon Society, by Katie O’Neill (Oni Press)
Welcome to the New World, by Jake Halpern and Michael Sloan (New York Times Sunday Review)

Comics Alternative Kickstarter: Skullduggery, Issue 2 May 11, 2018

Show notes

This week on the Kickstarter show, Derek talks with Jason Beirens about his current campaign for the second issue of his series, Skullduggery.

Jason calls Skullduggery a "legal fiction," a Disney-inspired crime narrative that is less police procedural and more based in the courtroom. His previously Kickstarted first issue of Skullduggery is described as

the beginning of a look into a double homicide of two known criminals by Judge Stewie Sponte, his assistant Maggie P.I. (a magpie) and his owl. Other characters come into play, two street smart tough guys, brothers Vinnie and Berg De Novo. Lastly, Whimsy Noir, as every detective story needs a dame, right?

Populated by anthropomorphic figures, curious criminals, and unusual courtroom proceedings, this will be a fully colored story worth checking out. And there's even a reward level where you can get not only the second, but also the first issue, of Jason's Skullduggery the series so as to get the entire story up to this point. Head on over to #2 campaign and see what it's all about!

Cover and Sample Art

Manga: Finishing Up Monster, Othereworld Barbara, and Other Manga Series May 11, 2018

Show notes

Time Codes:

00:00:26 - Introduction
00:02:33 - Setting up the episode
00:04:17 - More listener mail!
00:06:49 - Completing Monster
00:49:03 - Completing Otherworld Barbara
01:14:28 - Completing other manga series
01:26:25 - Wrap up
01:27:47 - Contact us

On this episode of the monthly manga series -- the April show, actually, albeit late -- Shea and Derek revisit some of the titles that they had previously discussed. They talk about these series now that they have more volumes under their belts, and in some cases, have completed the entire series. The first of these that they discuss is Naoki Urasawa's Monster(VIZ Media), a title that they first discussed in their July 2015 episode. The last volume of the English-language Perfect Editions was released in summer of 2016, and both Shea and Derek explore their experiences finishing up the series. As they reveal, Urasawa has a penchant for vast, multi-leveled narratives, filled with a wide cast of characters, and the guys discuss this style of storytelling, its thrills as well as its challenges.

Next, they turn to the completion of a story they first discussed on the September 2016 manga episode, Moto Hagio's Otherworld Barbara (Fantagraphics). The second volume of this series was published in August of last year, and the guys revisit Hagio's storyworld and its wrap-up. As they mentioned on their earlier episode, this is a complex, even vertiginous, narrative that involves dreamscapes, multiple narrative levels, and time interplay. Both of them appreciate Hagio's conclusion, although at times they wonder about the story's lapses into sentimentalism, and if the various narrative threads may not be a bit unwieldy.

Finally, the guys discuss other manga series that they've been keeping up with, even completing, individually. For Shea, that includes ONE and Yusuke Murata's One-Punch Man and Yusei Matsui's Assassination Classroom, both published by VIZ Media. Derek waxes enthusiastically about Inio Asano's Goodnight Punpun(VIZ Media), Kengo Hanazawa's I Am a Hero(Dark Horse Manga), and Akiko Higashimura's Princess Jellyfish(Kodansha Comics).

Comics Alternative Interviews: Another Conversation with Bill Schelly May 10, 2018

Show notes

Time Codes:

00:00:24 - Introduction
00:02:29 - Setup of interview
00:04:08 - Interview with Bill Schelly
01:06:00 - Wrap up
01:06:40 - Contact us

There’s perhaps no better historian on American comics fandom than Bill Schelly. Having been a part of the zine scene in the 1960s and early 1970s, and starting when he was a teenager, Schelly worked with many of the movers and shakers within the fan community and published several fanzines of his own. In the early 1990s he returned to comics as a chronicler and as a historian, writing various overviews of comic fandom, and then later making his mark as a comics biographer, covering the lives of such creators as Joe Kubert, Otto Binder, John Stanley, and Harvey Kurtzman, the latter biography earning him a 2016 Eisner Award for Best Comics-Related Book. On this interview episode, Derek talks with Bill about his new book, Sense of Wonder: My Life in Comic Fandom – the Whole Story, and his decisions to revise and expand this memoir from its original 2001 version released through TwoMorrows Publishing. This new edition of Sense of Wonder, published by North Atlantic Books, is significantly expanded, covers Schelly’s entire life up until now, and is written with a much more personal, and revealing, tone than the original. Bill discusses in detail his history in comics fandom and his growth as an editor and writer, as well as the personal milestones that have marked his life.

You can learn more about Bill Schelly and his work by checking out his website.

Comics Alternative Interviews: Back with Zach Worton May 10, 2018

Show notes

Time Codes:

00:00:25 - Introduction
00:02:14 - Setup of interview
00:04:00 - Interview with Zach Worton
00:59:46 - Wrap up
01:00:27 - Contact us
01:01:46 - “Gotta Get You Outta My Head,” by Zorton and the Cannibals

Zach Worton was last on the podcastabout two years ago, around the time of the publication of the second volume in his Charley Butters series, The Search for Charley Butters. On that interview show, Zach discussed the development of his storyline and what to expect in the third and final volume of the series, The Death of Charley Butters. As fate would have it, Zach and his publisher, Conundrum Press, decided to hold off on publishing the third stand-alone installment, and instead, put out the entire series in one complete volume. The result is The Curse of Charley Butters, just released last month, and including the first two Charley Butter stories and what would have been the third. In fact, this complete collection reads as a tight, cohesive narrative, and getting all of the Charley Butters installments in one nice volume is definitely the way to read this story. In this interview Derek talks with Zach about the genesis of his project, the challenges involved in its serialization, the stark nature of the storytelling, and the experience of taking his protagonist down an ever-darkening downward spiral. Zach also discusses his other new work, The Weird World of Lagoola Gardner, a magazine-sized comic whose tone is completely different from Charley Butters, looser, more comedic, and reminiscent of the kind of free-wheeling garage band- and tiki-influenced publications of the late 1960s.

Episode 279: The May Previews Catalog May 09, 2018

Show notes

This week, Paul and Derek take an extensive look at the May Previews catalog. In fact, their look is so extensive that their discussion evolves into an extra-long episode, spanning almost three hours! (Then again, listeners of the podcast probably are used to these long Previews episodes.) The Two Guys begin by sharing listener mail, and then they make a few comments about some of the changes Diamond has made to their catalog over the past couple of months. After that, they jump into the nitty gritty of the episode, highlighting a variety of solicitations that catch their eye this month. Among the many publishers and titles that they focus on are:

Image Comics - Farmhand #1, Unnatural#1, The New World#1, Outpost Zero#1, and Memoirs of a Very Stable Genius
Dark Horse Comics - The Quantum Age#1, She Could Fly#1, The Alcoholic: Tenth Anniversary Edition, and Criminy, Vol. 1
DC Comics/Vertigo - Astro City: Broken Melodyand Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles
IDW Publishing - Real Science Adventures: The Nicodemus Job #1, Assassinistas, Euthanauts#1, Brat Pack, Full Bleed#2, Atomic Empire, and Corto Maltese: Tango
Dynamite Entertainment - James Bond: Case Files, Vol. 1
BOOM! Studios - Bone Parish#1, Alice: From Dream to Dream, and Klaus: The New Adventures of Santa Claus
Aftershock Comics - Relay#1 and Clan Killers#1
Amaze Ink/Slave Labor Graphics - Let Go
Archie Comics - Archie Meets Batman '66#1
Avery Hill Publishing - Permanent Press
Birdcage Bottom Books - In the Future, We Are Dead
Drawn and Quarterly - Coyote Doggirland Art Comic
Fantagraphics Books - I, Rene Tardi, Prisoner of War in Stalag 11B, Song of Aglaia, The Best of Witzend, The Kurdles Adventure Magazine#1, The Agency, and Constant Companion
First Second - The Adventure Zone, Vol. 1and The Dam Keeper, Vol. 2
Gallery 13 - Bad Girls
Graphix - Making Friends, Vol. 1and Smiley's Dream Book Picturebook
Harper Collins Publishers - Action Presidents, Vol 3: Theodore Roosevelt
Liveright - The Ghost Script
Lion Forge -A Sea of Love, Herakles, and The Dream of the Butterfly Part 2
Oni Press - The Long Con#1
Secret Acres - Little Stranger
Silver Sprocket - Girls
Somos Arte, LLC - Ricanstruction: Reminiscing and Rebuilding Puerto Rico
Titan Comics - McCay
Twomorrows Publishing - American Comic Book Chronicles: The 1990s
Uncivilized Books - The Clandestinauts
VIZ Media - Dead Dead Demons Dededede Destruction, Vol. 2
Kodansha Comics - Grand Blue Dreaming, Vol. 1

Comics Alternative Interviews: Pat Palermo May 08, 2018

Show notes

Time Codes:

00:00:24 - Introduction
00:02:41 - Setup of interview
00:04:04 - Interview with Pat Palermo
01:06:50 - Wrap up
01:07:33 - Contact us

Pat Palermo is an artist and Xeric Award-winning cartoonist living and working in Brooklyn. In fact, the intersection of “living and working” is the subject matter of his new series coming out from AdHouse Books, LIVE/WORK. The first issue of this magazine-sized comic came out last month, and it’s an ensemble narrative concerning the exploits of New York artists as they try to make their marks in the art world, while at the same time worrying about their living arrangements. In this episode of the interview series, Derek talks with Pat about the origins of his new series, how it began as a self-published endeavor, the autobiographical links embedded among his ensemble cast, and his thoughts on writing in a more realistic or slice-of-life mode – what's been called before on The Comics Alternative, verite dessinée. Along the way Pat discusses his own non-comics art endeavors, his Galveston Diary Project, and the ways in which his work in fine arts informs his cartooning…and vice versa.

On Location: FCBD at Heroes Aren't Hard to Find May 07, 2018

Show notes

For the May on-location episode, Derek is back at Heroes Aren't Hard to Find for Free Comic Book Day. This is a big occasion, and business at Heroes was bustling and crowded, with customers lining up to get in as early as 5:30 am. In fact, this show was recorded outside of the shop where things were less chaotic. Joining Derek was Zyg (who has become a regular at these on-location shows), David, Adam, Jake, and Emily. Everyone talks about the various FCBD titles and which ones they're particularly drawn to, but they also discuss other comics-related topics, such as the recent Avengers movie, the kind of comics that they're currently reading, and upcoming titles that they're particularly looking forward to.

Comics Alternative Kickstarter: The Secret Voice, Vol. 1 May 05, 2018

Show notes

Derek talks with Zack Sot0 about his Kickstarter project The Secret Voice, Vol. 1. Zack describes it as "as psychedelic fantasy epic" filled with psychic warrior monks, wild kung fu magic battles, monsters, and even a bit of romance.

Over the coals of their conversation, Zack discusses the origins of The Secret Voice in a minicomic, its development as a webcomic and then a comic book, and its maturation as a book-length narrative. The creator describes the premise this way:

Doctor Galapagos, a goggled, bandaged mystery man is just one of many agents of the ineffable Red College that we meet in the pages of The Secret Voice. Doctor Galapagos is our hero, our mystic battle man on the spot. He seems wildly capable of facing any and all hand to hand combatants. But Dr. G isn't justbattling hundreds of angry trolls or brigands all at once, he's also fighting an unseen, unknown, psychic menace. He's finding his grip on reality becoming more and more tenuous, just when he needs it the most.

There are a variety of reward levels to choose from, as well, including not only the book -- in both digital and hardcopy format -- but swag, original art, and prints. This is a fun story that the Two Guys have discussed on a past episode of the webcomics series, so you know it's worth checking out. So what are you waiting for? Back The Secret Voice, Vol. 1!

Cover and Sample Art

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