The Comics Alternative

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Episode 260: The January Previews Catalog Jan 03, 2018

Show notes

Happy New Year from The Comics Alternative! To help bring in 2018, Gwen and Derek are back to meticulously go through the January Previews catalog, providing recommendations and insights on a variety of upcoming titles. This month's catalog is jam-packed with great solicits, so many, in fact, that this becomes an extra-long episode. They begin by looking at the various offerings announced for this year's Free Comic Book Day, and then they move on to the catalog proper. Among the many comic books and graphic novels that Gwen and Derek highlight are:

Dark Horse Comics - American Gods: My Ainsel #1, Joe Golem: Occult Detective, Vol. 2 - The Outer Dark, Milk and Cheese: Dairy Products Gone Bad, Beasts of Burden: Animal Rites, The Battles of Bridget Lee, Vol. 2 - The Miracle Child, and Rocket Robinson and the Pharaoh's Fortune
DC/Vertigo - Eternity Girl #1, Shade the Changing Woman #1, Global Frequency: Deluxe Edition, and The American Way: Those Above and Those Below
IDW Publishing - Four Sisters, Vol. 1: Enid, A Strange and Beautiful Sound, Super Patriotic Heroes, and Ward's Valley
Image Comics - Gideon Falls #1, Oblivion Song #1, Dry County #1, Infidel #1, and Prism Stalker #1
Abstract Studios - Motor Girl Omnibus
Abrams ComicArts - Bizarre Romance
Aftershock Comics - Shock Anthology
Archie Comics - Vampironica #1
Avery Hill Publishing - I Love This Part
BOOM! Studios - Lucy Dreaming #1, Dodge City #1, Nuclear Winter, Vol. 1, Dodo, Persephone, and Misfit City, Vol. 2
Cinebook - Alone, Vol. 8: The Arena, Valerian and Laureline, Vol. 22: Memories from the Future, and Trent, Vol. 2: The Kid
Conundrum Press - BDQ: Essays and Interviews on Quebec Comics
Dynamite Entertainment - The Green Hornet '66 Meets The Spirit
Drawn and Quarterly - Berlin #22, From Lone Mountain, and Von Spatz
Fantagraphics Books - Mudbite, Love & Rockets, Vol. IV #5, We Ate Wonder Bread, Land of the Sons, and Real Deal #8
First Second - Brazen, New Shoes, Science Comics: Robots and Drones, and Secret Coders, Vol. 5: Potions and Parameters
Graphix - Raina Telgemeier Collection Box Set
Humanoids - Exo
Lion Forge - Puerto Rico Strong and The Lost Path
NBM - The Initiates: A Comic Artist and a Wine Artisan Exchange Jobs and The True Death of Billy the Kid
Nobrow Press - Dalston Monsterzz
Oni Press - The Ballad of Sang #1, Spectacle, Book 1, and Oh Joy Sex Toy, Vol. 1
Titan Comics -Sea of Thieves #1, Fighting American: The Ties that Bind #1, Quarry's War, and Minky Woodcock: The Girl Who Handcuffed Houdini
Toon Books/Toon Graphics - Snails Are Just My Speed and The Dragon Slayer: Folktales from Latin America
Vertical Comics - City, Vol. 1
VIZ Media - Kaguya-Sama: Love Is War, Vol. 1

Manga: Reviews of Battle Angel Alita: Deluxe Edition, Vol. 1 and Children of the Whales, Vol. 1 Jan 02, 2018

Show notes

Time Codes:

00:00:29 - Introduction
00:02:35 - Some context, and thanks!
00:05:19 - Battle Angel Alita: Deluxe Edition, Vol. 1
00:50:09 - Children of the Whales, Vol. 1
01:26:06 - Wrap up
01:27:21 - Contact us

On this episode of The Comics Alternative's manga series, Shea and Derek discuss two recent publications that, in one way or another, explore a post-apocalyptic world. They begin with a classic, the first volume of Yukito Kishiro's Battle Angel Alita. Kodansha Comics has recently started to release this legendary cyberpunk series in nice deluxe hardbound editions -- the second deluxe volume is due for release in late February -- and the guys are excited that the title is back in print. Neither Shea nor Derek was familiar with Battle Angel Alita before, outside of hearing about the upcoming James Cameron/Robert Rodriguez film adaptation due out in 2018, but now both are hooked. In their overview, the guys highlight the kinetic quality of the illustrations, the ways in which Kishiro contextualizes even his most nasty characters, the complexities (and embedded mysteries) of his storyworld, and the ways in which he visualizes the title character...which, for Shea at least, is a little problematic.

Next, they look at Abi Umeda's Children of the Whales, Vol. 1 (VIZ Media). This is another post-apocalyptic narrative -- at least the guys think things are set in a post-apocalyptic world -- and the storyworld that Umeda maps out is quite complex. In fact, as Derek suggests, there are so many nuances in this first volume that the story runs the risk of toppling over due to sheer ambiguity. However, the author is able to maintain a comprehendible balance in her tale, although several passages may require more than one reading. There are a lot of questions posed in this book, and while Derek is willing to continue on in future volumes to get the fuller picture, Shea isn't as enamored of the story. While he admires Umeda's art, he feels that the story's premise, especially as it relates to the Committee of Elders, may be a bit too predictable. Still, Derek feel that the volume is worth checking out.

Comics Alternative Interviews: Another Happy New Yoe with Craig Yoe Jan 01, 2018

Show notes

Time Codes:

00:00:25 - Introduction
00:02:12 - Setup of interview
00:03:56 - Interview with Craig Yoe
02:01:22 - Wrap up
02:02:17 - Contact us

Welcome to 2018! And as The Comics Alternative has done for the past several years, they start off the new year with an interview of perennial favorite of the podcast, Craig Yoe. These are called the annual Happy New Yoe shows. And this year, Derek talks with Craig about Yoe Books past, present, and future. They start off by discussing many of the books that Craig and his wife/partner, Clizia Gussoni, released in 2017. These include those published through Yoe Books/IDW Publishing -- e.g., Mummies!: Classic Monsters of Pre-Code Horror Comics; Behaving Madly: Zany, Loco, Cockeyed, Rip-off, Satire Magazines; Haunted Love Vol. 1; The Complete Voodoo Vol. 3; Jay Disbrow's Monster Invasion; and volumes of both Haunted Horror and Weird Love -- but also works that Craig published elsewhere, such as his book for younger readers, LOL: A Load of Laughs and Jokes for Kids, published through Little Simon.

After that, Craig fields several questions asked by fans via Facebook...some sensible, others rather wacky. That eventually leads them into a discussion of books from Craig we have to look forward to in 2018. Among the various upcoming titles they discuss are We Spoke Out: Comic Books and the Holocaust, Super Weird Heroes: Preposterous but True, Lou Cameron's Unsleeping Dead, Drawing and Life Lessons from Master Cartoonists, Super Patriotic Heroes, and Reefer Madness. This is an extra long interview, running for almost two hours, and there's a lot packed into the conversation. Plenty to help carry listeners comfortably into the new year!

Young Readers: Reviews of Good Night, Planet, The Dam Keeper, and Misfit City, as Well as a Look Back at 2017 Dec 28, 2017

Show notes

Time Codes:

00:31 - Introduction
03:51 - Greetings and apologies
05:36 - Good Night, Planet
13:15 - The Dam Keeper
24:59 - Misfit City
39:30 - A look back at 2017 in young reader comics
56:56 - Wrap up
57:25 - Contact us

It's the end of the year, and for their December episode of the Young Readers series, Gwen and Paul discuss three exciting titles as well look back at the past year's releases. They begin by discussing Liniers's Good Night, Planet, part of Françoise Mouly's TOON Books series. After that they look at Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsumi's The Dam Keeper, recently released from First Second. Then they wrap up with a comic-book series, Kirsten "Kiwi" Smith,‎ Kurt Lustgarten,‎ and Naomi Franquiz's Misfit City (BOOM! Box).

They also take a look back at 2017, where both Gwen and Paul discuss what they consider the best of comics of the year for young readers.

Webcomics: Reviews of Cookies, All Along the Wall, and Holiday Wars Dec 22, 2017

Show notes

Time Codes:

00:00:27 - Introduction
00:03:10 - Happy Holidays!
00:04:32 - Cookies
00:20:04 - All Along the Wall
00:33:53 - Holiday Wars
01:01:51 - Wrap up
01:02:59 - Contact us

It's the holiday season, and for December Sean and Derek discuss three holiday-related webcomics. The start off by looking at two shorter works, Kate Beaton's Cookies (available on her Hark! A Vagrant website) and Emily Carroll's creepy All Along the Wall. After that they look at the much more substantial Holiday Wars, written by Scott King and with art by Michael Odom. So sit back, plug in your earphones, and enjoy the holiday goodness of this month's webcomics episode.

Manga: Reviews of Servant X Service and Sweet Blue Flowers, Vol. 1 Dec 01, 2017

Show notes

Time Codes:

00:00:28 - Introduction
00:02:35 - In-between holidays
00:09:01 - Servant X Service
00:55:47 - Sweet Blue Flowers, Vol. 1
01:32:21 - Wrap up
01:33:22 - Contact us

For November Shea and Derek discuss two very different kind of manga, but both that involve romance in one form or another. They begin with Karino Takatsu's Servant X Service. The complete series was released in two volumes by Yen Press in 2016, and the guys spend much of the episode discussing this strip-like series. The title concerns civil servants on the job -- a topic you don't really encounter much in comics/manga -- and both Derek and Shea have a lot to say about the unusual subject matter and format. After that they discuss the first volume of Takako Shimura's Sweet Blue Flowers (VIZ Media). As the guys reveal, this is an example of yuri manga, where two childhood friends who have lost track of one another become reacquainted in high school, although they attend different academies. As the story unfolds, romances and complicated relationships develop. However, the friendship of the series' main protagonists (at least in this first volume), Fumi and Akira, is what really anchors this text.

Episode 259: Reviews of Bad Mask, Evolution #1, and Doctor Radar #1 Nov 29, 2017

Show notes

Time Codes:

00:01:26 - Introduction
00:03:48 - Post-Thanksgiving digestion
00:05:07 - Bad Mask
00:30:41 - Evolution #1
00:46:48 - Doctor Radar #1
01:03:06 - Wrap up
01:04:36 - Contact us

On this week's episode Gwen and Derek discuss three recent releases that, while all being quite different, nonetheless share a common theme of mystery. They start off with Jon Chad's Bad Mask (BOOM! Box), a multimedia project that explores perspective and interpretation. With its various components in multiple print formats -- comic book, trading cards, newspaper tabloid, mainstream news magazine, business reports, etc. -- it's an intelligent exploration of how we define "hero." Next, the Two PhDs Talking about Comics explore the first issue of Evolution (Image Comics). This is a different kind of comic in that it's written by four authors...and the result is solid and far from fragmented. James Asmus, Joseph Keatinge, Christopher Sebela, and Joshua Williamson contribute to the story, with Joe Infurnari providing the art. Finally, Gwen and Derek look at Noël Simsolo and Bézian's Doctor Radar #1 (Titan Comics). This is a translation that taps into the crime noir genre, expertly done and perhaps the highlight of the week.

Comics Alternative Interviews: Tim Lane Nov 28, 2017

Show notes

Time Codes:

00:00:24 - Introduction
00:02:24 - Setup of interview
00:04:23 - Interview with Tim Lane
02:13:48 - Wrap up
02:15:18 - Contact us

On this interview episode Derek talks with Tim Lane about his series Happy Hour in America, Vol. 2, the first issue of which is just being released from Fantagraphics Books. This isn't the first time that Tim has been interviewed on The Comics Alternative. In January 2015, Derek published on the blog a text-based conversation with him that he had conducted via email. That was a insightful and substantive interview, but the current one goes even further, allowing Tim not only to comment on his current work, but to delve into a variety of other topics, such as the business side of the medium, the state of comic books as a publishing platform, and matters of comics pedagogy. But the core of the conversation concerns Tim's latest efforts in this new volume of Happy Hour in America, his fascination with twentieth-century Americana, his previous collections -- Abandoned Cars and The Lonesome Go -- and the interpretive biography he currently has underway, Just Like Steve McQueen. This is an unusually long interview, running just over two hours, but it's an engaging conversation that will introduce you to Tim's "Great American Mythological Drama."

And be sure to support Tim Lane on Patreon!

Comics Alternative Kickstarter: Swan Song: The Musical Anthology Nov 25, 2017

Show notes

For this week's Kickstarter spotlight, Derek focuses on Swan Song: The Musical Anthology, a campaign underway from Cloudscape Comics. Discussing this project with him are Jeffrey Ellis and Oliver McTavish-Wisden, the assistant director/founder and the executive director, respectively, of the small Vancouver publisher and collective. Swan Song is an anthology including contributions from a wide variety of (mostly) British Columbia-based creators, all of which engage with music in one way or another.

Swan Song will feature a cover by Renee Nault, and creative contributions from:

Ed Appleby
Arden Belfry
Anthony Biondi
James Brandi
Emily Cowan
Jonathon Dalton
Jesse Davidge
Monica Disher
Jeff Ellis
Drew Gilmour
Annalise Jensen
Sam Keating
K. Kelsay
Yashaswi Kesanakurthy
Reetta Linjama
Riley Masters
Tamiko Masters
Oliver McTavish-Wisden
Angela Melick
Sfé R. Monster
Hannah Myers
Alina Pete
Jess Pollard
Anat Rabkin
Simon Roy
G. C. Joseph Seiler
Karen Shangguan
Bevan Thomas
Ian Thomas
Jason Wilkins
Jeri Weaver
Klara Woldenga
Patrick Wong

This campaign will end on Saturday, December 9, so be sure to visit the Swan Song Kickstarter page and back this campaign!

UPDATE SINCE THE RECORDING: Oliver and Jeff have now included a support level for a soft-cover edition of Swan Song!

Sample Art

Episode 258: Our Fifth Annual Thanksgiving Show Nov 22, 2017

Show notes

Thanksgiving is tomorrow, and the folks at The Comics Alternative all gather around the virtual table to share what they are thankful for in terms of comics and comics culture. Pulling up a seat this year are Gwen, Paul, Sean, Gene, Edward, and Derek. Among the many things that they're thankful for are

First Second's Science Comics and Secret Coders series,
local comics shops (Comix Revolution in Evanston, IL, and Heroes Aren't Hard to Find in Charlotte, NC) and local conventions (such as CAKE),
being able to meet your comics heroes, such as Gary Panter and Trina Robbins,
the conclusion of Inio Asano's Goodnight Punpun series,
Fantagraphics and its always impressive output, such as this year's Now and How to Read Nancy,
Françoise Mouly and Nadja Spiegelman's Resist!,
Craig Yoe,
the growing number of publishers of Franco-Belgian comics,
having dinner with Gilbert Hernandez and his family,
Kodansha Comics and its ongoing efforts to publish quality editions of classic (and not-so-classic) manga,
and the many creators and publicists who help to make this podcast possible!