The Comics Alternative

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Comics Alternative Interviews: Mitch Maglio Nov 21, 2017

Show notes

Time Codes:

00:25 - Introduction
02:39 - Setup of interview
03:45 - Interview with Mitch Maglio
58:47 - Wrap up
59:50 - Contact us

On this interview episode, Derek talks with Mitch Maglio about his new book, Fiction House: From Pulps to Panels, from Jungles to Space, just out from IDW/Yoe Books. Mitch is an aficionado on Fiction House (as well as on the jungle girl genre), so he's the perfect writer/collector to discuss this historic publisher. He talks with Derek about the origins of Fiction House, its colorful founder, the publisher's major role in the pulps, its mostly forgotten stature during the Golden Age, the many legends who worked as writers and artists on their many publications, its ironic position concerning female empowerment, and the various titles for which it was known, including Jumbo Comics, Fight Comics, Wings Comics, and of course Sheena: Queen of the Jungle.

Comics Alternative Interviews: Ryan O'Sullivan and Plaid Klaus Nov 20, 2017

Show notes

Time Codes:

00:00:26 - Introduction
00:02:44 - Setup of interview
00:04:48 - Interview with Ryan O'Sullivan and Plaid Klaus
00:59:30 - Wrap up
01:02:24 - Contact us

Sean joins Derek to interview a creative team that the two have discussed previously, Ryan O'Sullivan and Plaid Klaus. Last year the guys reviewed Ryan and Klaus's webcomic Turncoat (now available in softcover), but this time they talk with the creators about a new print publication, their Image Comics limited series Void Trip. The first of its five issues comes out this week, and the Two Guys talk with Ryan and Klaus about the genesis of this project, the psychedelic nature of the story, the dynamics of their collaboration, and their philosophies on self-contained and tightly woven narratives. They also talk with the creative duo about their previous work together, Turncoat, and any potential future plans to utilize the webcomics platform.

Comics Alternative Kickstarter: What Now, Bruno? Nov 18, 2017

Show notes

On this week's Kickstarter episode, Derek talks with Bruno Oliveira about his project What Now, Bruno? This is an autobiographical work exploring what can happen to a comics artist once he's established himself in the industry. Bruno has broken into the field, illustrating for such publishers as IDW (Drones), Arcana (Space, MN), and, most recently, Marvel Comics (Amazing Spider-Man Annual, Gwenpool Holiday Special, and Mosaic, among other titles). But now that he's on his way, how does he manage his work and juggle the necessities in life? What Now, Bruno? is a humorous exploration of that dilemma.

This Kickstarter will end on December 7, so be sure to visit Bruno's page, see what it's all about, and back his campaign!

As an extra added bonus, if you discover What Now, Bruno? through this Comics Alternative episode, then contact Bruno directly and tell him that you found out about the project through the podcast. If you do, and you back him at a level that includes a physical comic, Bruno will include a free print in your order!

Sample Art

Episode 257: A Publisher Spotlight on Conundrum Press Nov 15, 2017

Show notes

Time Codes:

00:00:27 - Introduction
00:02:28 - Catching up, and listener mail!
00:11:34 - Duran Duran, Imelda Marcos, and Me
00:31:09 - Dreams in Thin Air
00:53:24 - Morton: A Cross-Country Rail Journey
01:07:05 - Getting Out of Hope
01:22:29 - Mister Morgen
01:34:31 - The Collected Neil the Horse
01:59:56 - Wrap up
02:02:25 - Contact us

This week on The Comics Alternative Andy and Derek return to one of their favorite publishers, Conundrum Press, for their next publisher spotlight. They had previously released a similar episode on Conundrum two and a half years ago, and they wanted to do so again with their fall 2017 releases. The six titles under discussion vary in style and topic, although the first three books the guys review are all memoirs: Lorina Mapa's Duran Duran, Imelda Marcos, and Me, Michael Nybrandt and Thomas Mikkelsen's Dreams in Thin Air, and David Collier's Morton: A Cross-Country Rail Journey. After that they turn to James Cadelli and his first graphic novel, Getting Out of Hope, and then the surreal story collection Mister Morgen by Croatian poster artist Igor Hofbauer. Finally, Andy and Derek conclude with one of their favorite of the fall releases, The Collected Neil the Horse, by Arn Saba (now Katherine Collins). This is a classic black-and-white comic from the early 1980s that definitely deserves this kind of attention.

The closing music of this episode, in fact, is created by Collins for Neil the Horse!

Comics Alternative Interviews: Mark Voger Nov 14, 2017

Show notes

Time Codes:

00:00:24 - Introduction
00:02:28 - Setup of interview
00:03:47 - Interview with Mark Voger
01:05:43 - Wrap up
01:07:15 - Contact us

On this interview episode, Derek talks with Mark Voger about his latest work, Groovy: When Flower Power Bloomed in Pop Culture. The book comes out this week from TwoMorrows Publishing, and during their conversation Mark discusses the roots of groovy culture that reach back to early twentieth-century modernism and jazz, and are even apparent in discoveries during nineteenth century. But most of the interview is spent talking about the flowering, so to speak, of this cultural trend from the mid-1960s into the early 1970s. Obviously Derek asks Mark about the comics of the time -- Mike Sekowsky's new Wonder Woman, Steve Ditko's Hawk and Dove, Jim Steranko's Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., Archie Comics' Josie, and the underground comix of R. Crumb, Trina Robbins, Jay Lynch, Kim Deitch, and Denis Kitchen -- but they also spend a lot of time discussing "groovy culture" in music, television, film, fashion, and art. Mark also briefly covers his previous book, Monster Mash: The Creepy, Kooky Monster Craze In America 1957-1972, and the creative transition he made from the ghoulish to the psychedelic. These were the concurrent popular movements that largely defined his young life.

Be sure to visit Mark Voger's website to learn more about his groovy work!

Euro Comics: Reviews of Billie Holiday, Josephine Baker, and The Green Hand and Other Stories Nov 13, 2017

Show notes

Time Codes:

00:00:29 - Introduction
00:03:36 - Edward's big life changes!
00:08:09 - Billie Holiday
00:26:53 - Josephine Baker
00:59:14 - The Green Hand and Other Stories
01:20:36 - Wrap up
01:22:17 - Contact us

After having to readjust for a few major life changes -- including a new baby for first-time parents! -- Edward and Derek are back with the monthly Euro Comics series. For November they discuss two graphic biographies devoted to early twentieth-century artists as well as a collection of surreal and experimental fiction. They start with Carlos Sampayo and Jose Muñoz's Billie Holiday (NBM Publishing), a text that fully utilizes the somber, even noir uses of black-and-white (Muñoz's art was an inspiration for Frank Miller's Sin City, after all). Originally published by Fantagraphics in 1993, this work provides a skeletal overview of Holiday's life and career, both its artistic highs and its drug-filled lows.

A much more detailed graphic biography is Jose-Luis Bocquet and Catel Muller's Josephine Baker. Published by SelfMadeHero, this is an extensive look at Baker's life and includes encyclopedic back matter that supplements the narrative. This is a more conventional biography than the one on Billie Holiday, a chronological accounting from a more objective, detached point of view. Perhaps most notable is the fact that Edward, himself, did the translation of this text (although not the back matter). As such, he provides insightful behind-the-scenes information about the preparation of this album, its editorial handling of sensitive racial issues, and the dynamics involved in the art of translation.

Finally, Derek and Edward wrap up with very different kind of work, Nicole Claveloux's The Green Hand and Other Stories (New York Review Comics). In addition to its longer titular story, the collection includes seven other Claveloux short comics that vary in style and narrative conventionality. All of the pieces are dreamlike, even psychedelic in nature, originally appearing in Métal Hurlant or through Les Humanoïdes Associés between 1979 and 1980. With an introduction by Daniel Clowes and an interview with "Green Hand" co-creator Edith Zha, this is collection that serves as a great introduction to the often-overlooked Claveloux.

Comics Alternative Kickstarter: LAAB Magazine #0: Dark Matter Nov 11, 2017

Show notes

This week Derek talks with Ronald Wimberly, Josh O'Neill, and Maëlle Doliveux about their Kickstarter project LAAB Magazine #0: Dark Matter. Published by Beehive Books, this will be a tabloid-sized newspaper annual filled with comics, interviews, artwork, cultural criticism, and writings on identity as played out in popular culture. This inaugural #0 issue will include

An interview with musician and actor Saul Williams
A conversation with graphic artist Trenton Doyle Hancock
James Romberger on Jean-Michel Basquiat
A discussion with the poster artist Alexandra Bell
A critical analysis of George Lucas's THX 1138
Ronald Wimberly's visual tribute to Sun Ra
A review of BLACK, the new comic from Black Mask Studios
Over a dozen pages of comics and illustration by Ronald Wimberly
...and much more!

Be sure to visit the LAAB Kickstarter page, see what Ronald is up to, and back this project by Friday, December 1. And learn more about the exciting publications coming out through Josh and Maëlle's Beehive Books!

Sample Art

Episode 256: Reviews of Kid Lobotomy #1 and #2, Carnival of Contagion, and Monograph Nov 08, 2017

Show notes

Time Codes:

00:00:30 - Introduction
00:03:00 - Our new Kickstarter series and Slack channel!
00:08:48 - Kid Lobotomy #1 and #2
00:31:09 - Carnival of Contagion
00:48:15 - Monograph
01:20:23 - Wrap up
01:23:15 - Contact us

This week Paul and Derek review three new titles that are all quite different in content and audience. They begin with the first two issues of Peter Milligan and Tess Fowler's Kid Lobotomy, the first series in IDW's new Black Crown imprint. The guys start their discussion by referencing Shelly Bond and her stated intentions behind the new creator-owned line. But while they're certainly amenable to the edgy or punk mentality that had once defined Vertigo, the guys feel that in her commentary in these first two issues, Bond is trying a little too hard to be hip and get us on board. And while both Derek and Paul are fans of Milligan's storytelling, there's something a little too much, something too crowded or unwieldy, about the premise of Kid Lobotomy. Nonetheless, given the creative team on this title, and its place in the new Black Crown line, the guys are going to give this series a lot of rope in hopes of being won over.

Next, the guys discuss Carnival of Contagion, a new educational comic from the University of Nebraska Press that's all about vaccination awareness. Illustrated by Bob Hall, and written by him as well (along with John West and Judy Diamond), this is a title that's apparently intended for classroom use. As Paul and Derek reveal, the story may be a little dry -- and even didactic in places -- but it effectively drives home the importance of vaccination not only for individuals, but for our communities as well.

Finally, the Two Guys turn to a behemoth of a text, Chris Ware's Monograph (Rizolli). Both Derek and Paul are big fans of Ware's creativity, and they're mesmerized by the sheer beauty and ingenuity contained within this work (which is much more of an art book, and one with autobiographical impulses, than a comic). However, they're a little put off at times by the apologetic tone of the author. Granted, Chris Ware is known for his self-deprecation, where he feels he has to apologize for his comics efforts as an artist. But such a stance can also take on a more self-aggrandizing quality, highlighting the uniqueness -- and the "seriousness" or the high-brow-ness -- of the project and contrasting it to more "common" or mainstream comics. This can also be seen in Art Spiegelman's introduction and his emphasis on "comix." But despite these minor annoyances, the guys are completely taken by this volume and strongly recommend it to not only Chris Ware fans, but to serious comics readers as a whole.

Comics Alternative Interviews: Joseph Remnant Nov 07, 2017

Show notes

Time Codes:

00:00:24 - Introduction
00:02:33 - Setup of interview
00:03:45 - Interview with Joseph Remnant
01:18:05 - Wrap up
01:19:38 - Contact us

Derek is pleased to have Joseph Remnant on the podcast. His new book, Cartoon Clouds, was released last month from Fantagraphics. This is a graphic novel in the truest sense, a work of fiction that explores the nuances of relationships, defining yourself, and growing apart from those with whom you were once close. As Joseph reveals, this is a narrative that began in serial installments on a website he once maintained with Noah Van Sciver, but it soon developed into something more complex and ambitious. Most of the interview is devoted to Cartoon Clouds, but Derek also asks his guest about his comic-book series Blindspot and his illustration work with Harvey Pekar. Along the way Joseph talks about his contribution in the upcoming second issue of Now, and he hints at some of the new work he currently has underway.

Joseph will be at CAB, Comic Arts Brooklyn, this coming weekend. If you're in the area, be sure to stop by and tell him hello and that you heard him on The Comics Alternative!

Webcomics: Reviews of Blindsprings, Albert the Alien, and A Fire Story Nov 06, 2017

Show notes

Time Codes:

00:00:28 - Introduction
00:03:11 - Announcements!
00:09:33 - Blindsprings
00:42:07 - Albert the Alien
01:05:02 - A Fire Story
01:24:02 - Wrap up
01:25:27 - Contact us

On the November webcomics episode, Sean and Derek look at three very different titles. They begin with Kadi Fedoruk's Blindsprings, a fantasy filled with magic and spirits, but one whose philosophical foundations are deeper than you may at first think. As the guys point out, the meticulous art is one of the highlights of this webcomic. After that, Sean and Derek turn to a lighthearted all-age series by Trevor Mueller and Gabo, Albert the Alien. Much like Blindsprings, this webcomic has been around since 2013, but there seems to be no foreseeable sign of story exhaustion. Finally, the guys look at a much more somber, and timely, completed webcomic, Brian Fies's A Fire Story. This is a brief account of the author's experiences in last month's devastating California fires. The story is heart-wrenching, and Fies includes commentary and photographs to underscore the full extent of the tragedy.

Be sure to visit Brian Fies's blog and click on the banners of his two books, Mom's Cancer and Whatever Happened to the World of Tomorrow?. Your purchase of those works will help support Fies as he and his wife attempt to rebuild their lives.

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