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Webcomics - Reviews of Henchgirl, Huge Hana, and Digger Apr 13, 2015

Show notes

Derek and Andy W. are back for another of their monthly webcomics episodes, and for April they discuss three exciting titles, two currently ongoing webcomics and one completed series. They begin with Kristen Gudsnuk's Henchgirl, the story of a young villain trying to find her way (and her fortune) in a world of super-powered crime. However, her heart and her relationships keep getting in the way, making her a unlikely and often-torn protagonist. As the Two Guys point out, this is more of a relationship-based story than a superhero one, and Gudsnuk is adept at showing the unglamorous and untold side of villainy. Manga-influenced and reminiscent of the style and tone of Scott Pilgrim, Henchgirl is probably a story aimed at a younger (Millennial?) readership, but it's humor and playfulness can be enjoyed by all. Next, the guys, not intending to be alliterative this month, discuss another H-heavy webcomic. Huge Hana is a relatively recent title created by Ian Burns, with a first installment posted on December 30, 2013, and an active Patreon campaign underway. As Andy describes it, it is a scientific science-fiction tale with a bit of Attack of the 50 Foot Woman thrown in and complete with devastating meteors, mutations, and enough of a medically based premise to set the Center for Disease Control on edge. It's the story of a young woman transformed into a giant and in search of answers to her dilemma, all the while trying to navigate a world that now sees her as a monster. Finally, the guys look at what could arguably called a "classic" in webcomics, Ursula Vernon's Digger. Running from February 2007 to March 2011, Digger is an epic that may have you reaching for your copy of Joseph Campbell's Hero with a Thousand Faces. It involves an anthropomorphic wombat far from home and in an unlikely team-up with the Hindu deity, Ganesh -- or at least a wooden statue of the god. Accompanied by an exiled hyena skin painter, a mentally unstable worshipper of Ganesh, and a shadow born of a white bird that just may be a demon, the story's hero, also known as the Digger-of-Unnecessarily-Convoluted-Tunnels, reluctantly undergoes a journey to uncover the source of evil magic that is gumming up the world. If you're a fan of such quest narratives as Tolkein's The Hobbit, Dave Sim's Cerebus, or Jeff Smith's Bone, then Digger is definitely a webcomic for you.

Episode 130 - Reviews of The Age of Selfishness, Lumberjanes Vol. 1, and Past Aways #1 Apr 08, 2015

Show notes

On this episode of the podcast, Andy and Derek review three new titles, each of which is a brief glimpse into a facet of our diverse comics culture. They begin by looking at the new book from Darryl Cunningham, The Age of Selfishness: Ayn Rand, Morality, and the Financial Crisis (Abrams ComicArs). This work is an extended essay focusing on the life and philosophy of Rand, the contribution of her ideas to the 2008 financial crisis, and a general discussion on growing libertarian selfishness of Western culture. In fact, the book is divided into three parts, each of which is devoted to one of these three components. The guys discuss Cunningham's structural approach when presenting his arguments. Andy feels that the three parts work fairly well together, although Derek isn't as convinced that the book as a whole has the appropriate balance. For examples, the references to Rand's philosophy in the second part of the book, "The Crash," are sporadic and could have been more deeply ingrained. As a result, the transition from the first part of the text, a broad biography of Ayn Rand, to the discussion on the 2008 crash that follows seems to separate two different projects. Still, Cunningham is able to weave his points together through references to Rand's disciples, the most prominent of which is Alan Greenspan. The Age of Selfishness is definitely an editorializing work with a left-leaning bent -- which is OK with the guys -- although at times the author tries almost too hard to be evenhanded. Next, Derek and Andy talk about a comic that they've been meaning to discuss for some time, Lumberjanes (BOOM! Box). In their first collected trade, Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, and Brooke Allen introduce the adventuresome girl team by plunging readers directly into the thick of things, involving yetis, animated statues, werescouts, a mysterious bearwoman, and the subtitular "kitten holy." This initial volume collects the first four issues of the series, which began about a year ago. The guys wonder why it took so long to put out the first trade, and why this collection comprises only the first four comic books. Derek believes that issues #5, and perhaps even #6, could have been included in the first trade with it still retaining a coherent narrative. But the thing about Lumberjanes is that the storyline is tightly woven, to where it's difficult to determine where one arc ends and another begins. That's to the creators' benefit, as it suggests that they have a solid story to tell and that they're not merely writing with the typical trade cycle in mind. Finally, the Two Guys discuss the inaugural issue of the new series from Matt Kindt and Scott Kolins, Past Aways (Dark Horse). This is a time-travel narrative, although one with a different twist. Five explorers from our future are trapped in the early twenty-first century, and after a year of being stranded, they drift apart with each going his or her separate way. The opening event in this first issue is what draws everyone back to a common purpose, so in many ways Past Aways has a superhero-ish "getting the team back together" kind of feel. The prelude to this new series actually appeared a couple of months ago in Dark Horse Presents #6 -- and the guys briefly discuss that story -- but readers do not have to have read that introduction to get into this first issue. Kindt is one of Andy and Derek's favorite creators, and they love Kolins's mainstream work in titles such as The Flash. So this new series will be a no-brainer for the guys. They're on board for the long haul!

Interviews - Charles Soule Apr 03, 2015

Show notes

On this episode of the interview show, Derek talks with Charles Soule about his most recent creator-own works, specifically Strange Attractors (Archaia) and the currently ongoing Letter 44 (Oni Press). They spend most of their time discussing the latter and the various narrative threads and subplots interwoven within the series. In their conversation, Charles tells Derek about the extent of his research for the title, his love of NASA history, the intrigue of writing political drama, and the ways in which his background in law helped give birth to series' premise. They also discuss the contemporary rootedness of Letter 44 and the extent to which recent presidential history plays out in its storyline, albeit ramped up and taken to speculative extremes. Much of the conversation is also devoted to Strange Attractors, a book similar to Letter 44 with a high concept and a keen scientific bent. Charles explains how his interest in complexity theory and his love of New York City combine to create an unlikely sci-fi drama. But even though Derek is mostly interested in his non-mainstream work, he nonetheless asks Charles about his efforts in the DC and Marvel Universes -- e.g., his experiences writing Swamp Thing, Death of Wolverine, Superman/Wonder Woman, and She-Hulk -- how he balances the superhero narratives with his creator-owned work, and the ways he negotiates both franchise limitations and fanboy expectations. All in all, it's a fun interview, with listeners being able to hear about creative facets of Charles Soule that rarely surface in interviews.

Episode 129 - The April Previews Catalog Apr 01, 2015

Show notes

It's the first of the month, so that means that Andy and Derek flip through the latest Previews catalog and share some of the upcoming releases they are most excited about. And April is jam-packed with solicits worth highlighting...which is one of the reasons why this week's episode is extra long. After sharing a bit of listener mail -- and it's always great to get letters, so keep those correspondences a-comin'! -- the guys jump into this month's offerings, beginning where they usually do with Dark Horse Comics. There they find intriguing titles such as Black Hammer #1, Bowery Boys: Our Fathers, Nanjing: The Burning City, and The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service Omnibus, Book 1. After a brief conversational detour about DC's Convergence event and the controversy surrounding Rafael Albuquerque's variant cover for Batgirl #41, the Two Guys highlight Will Eisner's The Spirit: A Celebration of 75 Years and the final issue of Fables (pulling double duty as issue #150 and volume 22 of the trade paperbacks), both from DC/Vertigo. From there the good stuff just keeps on coming, including upcoming titles such as Long Distance #1, Bacchus Ominbus Edition Vol. One, American Barbarian: The Complete Series, and Bravo for Adventures (all from IDW Publishing); Airboy #1, Starve #1, 8House: Arclight #1, Empty Zone #1, Astronauts in Trouble #1, Nonplayer #1, and the XXX variant of Sex Criminals #11 (Image Comics); Pope Hats #4 (AdHouse); Death in Oaxaca #2 and The Hic Hoc Illustrated Journal of Humor Vol. 1 (Alternative Comics); Mark Waid and Fiona Staples's Archie #1 (Archie Comics); The Fiction #1, Strange Fruit #1, and Broken World #1 (BOOM! Studios); Towerkind (Conundrum Press); the new edition of DeMatteis and Johnson's Mercy (Dover Publications); Showa: A History of Japan, 1953-1989 (Drawn and Quarterly); Dörfler, Leaf, Not Funny Ha-Ha: A Handbooks for Something Hard, Blubber #1, and Demons and Angels: The Mythology of S. Clay Wilson, Vol. 2 (Fantagraphic Books); Last Man, Vol. 2: The Royal Cup and Mike's Place: A True Story of Love, Blues, and Terror in Tel Aviv (First Second); Anomal (Gen Manga Entertainment); Re*Pro*Duct (Magnetic Press); Borb (Uncivilized Books); Junji Ito's Fragments of Horror (Viz Media); and The League of Regrettable Superheroes (Quirk Books). Derek and Andy also give a shout-out to all of their Patreon supporters out there, especially thanking for this week the several new $1/month backers. A big ol' hearty THANK YOU everyone!

Interviews - Noah Van Sciver Mar 27, 2015

Show notes

The Two Guys with PhDs are glad to have on their show Noah Van Sciver, the creator behind the series Blammo as well as the recently published Saint Cole (Fantagraphics). The guys talk with Noah about the genesis of Saint Cole and how this became his follow-up graphic novel to The Hypo: The Melancholic Young Lincoln. For that matter, they're even more curious to know why the artist chose our depressive sixteen president as his first long-form focus. While historical narratives aren't unusual for Noah -- he addresses the great 1863 Denver fire in his comic, A City of Whiskey and Fire (with Daniel Landes) -- he's quick to point out that he's not a historically based cartoonist, as, for example, you might find in someone like Rick Geary. In fact, Noah tells Derek and Andy that he resists any kind of pigeonholing, even bristling at any attempts to place his work in the company of Robert Crumb or Chester Brown. He prefers to be a chameleon, changing up his subject matter at will, much like Leonard Zelig does in Zelig. And here is where the Two Guys demonstrate their characteristic talents for taking their interviewees into unlikely tangential realms. Throughout their conversation, Woody Allen becomes the topic that the guys keep returning to, especially since Noah is a big Allen fan. The creator even reveals that he's currently working on project in the vein of Stardust Memories, a story about a successful artist who goes to a convention but feels alienated from his fans while he depressively reevaluates his life. But the conversation never evolves, or devolves, completely into a Woodyfest. There's plenty of talk on Van Sciver's Blammo series, his AdHouse collection Youth Is Wasted, his strips 4 Questions and Rufus Baxter, the World's Oldest Unknown Rock Star for Westword, the Denver comics scene, his relationship with Kilgore Books and Comics, his desire to create a comic with a large ensemble cast, and his upcoming project for Fantagraphics, Fante Bukowski. So all in all, in this interview you get previews, you get insights, you get laughs, and you get a little cinematic Woody. What more could you ask for?

Episode 128 - Reviews of Tex the Lonesome Rider, Sweatshop, and Criminal Special Edition Mar 25, 2015

Show notes

This week, Derek and Andy W. discuss recent titles that span the genre spectrum. First they look at the new release from Dark Horse, the English-language release of Claudio Nizzi and Joe Kubert's Tex the Lonesome Rider. Based on the famous American Western character created in 1948 by Giovanni Luigi Bonelli, this book was originally released in Italian and is now being published in the states in a beautiful hardbound volume. (Dark Horse had released the first part of this story in 2005 as Four Killers, Vol. 1: The Bartlett Brothers, and that same year SAF Comics published the entire story in English, but those books are long out of print.) The guys approach Nizzi's treatment of Tex Willer as a classic Western, but one that isn't afraid to delve into the darker, violent side of the genre. In fact, Andy argues that much of the story, underscored by Kubert's art, owes a debt to noir narrative, and that one could arguably read this as Western noir. Although Tex is a famous figure in Italian comics, he is much less known in the United States, and indeed, both Derek and Andy admit that before this new release, they didn't know much of anything about Tex and his history. But Tex the Lonesome Rider is the prefect introduction to the character, meticulously rendered by the legendary Kubert, and the guys hope that there will be more translated Tex stories to come. Next, they review the new collection from Peter Bagge, Sweatshop (Fantagraphics). Although this book was just released, Sweatshop isn't a new comic. It was first serialized by DC Comics during the last half of 2003, but it was canceled after only six issues. Now, the short-lived series is finally collected in a trade paperback, and if you're not familiar with the work of Peter Bagge, then this would be the prefect place to start. Reminiscent of Bagge's classic Hate, the story revolves around a self-centered and crotchety newspaper cartoonist and the young people he has working for him on the strip. Illustrated not only by Bagge, but also by Stephen DeStafano, Johnny Ryan, Stephanie Gladden, and Bill Wray, Sweatshop is a humorous, and at times sarcastically biting, look at the comics industry and the personalities that strut across its stage. Finally, Andy and Derek leap into Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips's Criminal Special Edition (Image), a one-shot oversized comic that takes us back into the creators' seminal world of noir. Released to help draw attention to the new editions of Criminal published through Image -- the original series came out through Marvel's Icon imprint between 2006 and 2011 -- this special edition is also an homage to the kind of sword-and-sorcery magazine-sized comics that appeared in the 1970s. The result is not only a curious pairing of genres, but more significantly, a narratively sophisticated return to a noir world that would eventually lead to such titles as Fatale and The Fade Out. If you're a fan of crime comics, Criminal Special Edition is essential reading.

Interviews - Dylan Horrocks Mar 20, 2015

Show notes

For this episode of The Comics Alternative Interviews, Derek and Andy W. are pleased to have as their guest the man behind Hicksville, Dylan Horrocks. His new book, Sam Zabel and the Magic Pen, has recently been released by Fantagraphics, and on the show the guys talk with Dylan about his experiences writing the book and the philosophy underlying its creation. They begin by discussing its initial black-and-white serialization in Atlas (which lasted for only three issues between 2001 and 2006), and then was slowly released in color as an online comic beginning in early 2009. Indeed, as of the time of this interview, Dylan is still publishing the final pages of Sam Zabel on his website, so that the entire story will eventually be available digitally. However, readers will want to get the new hardbound copy in order to experience a full story immersion with its larger size format and its richness of color. The guys also ask Dylan about the narrative links between the new book and his other stories, most notably Hicksville, as well as any possible autobiographic significance in the character Sam. This leads to an in-depth discussion on the function of comics, the dynamics between fiction and autobiographic representation, and the moral implications of fantasy and self-censorship. In fact, Sam Zabel and the Magic Pen is predicated on these dynamics, with its characters posing multiple positions or viewpoints that are never truly resolved. Instead of being a polemic or a didactic on the ethical responsibilities of the artist -- as some readers have interpreted it -- Sam Zabel and the Magic Pen is more an exercise in romantic irony, proposing conflicting and at times contradictory arguments that refuse any easy resolution, and instead, resides in an uneasy state of productive indeterminacy. In other words, the book's resonance rests more in the questions it raises than in any possible answers. Andy and Derek also talk with Dylan about the publishing history of Pickle, his work for DC -- specifically, his writing on Batgirl -- the Vertigo series Hunter: The Age of Magic, and, of course, his efforts championing New Zealand comics and underscoring its rich history. Much of the conversation revolved around the New Zealand comics scene, past and present, with Dylan demonstrating himself to be one of its most ardent enthusiasts. (Indeed, you can find his directory of New Zealand cartoonists and comics creators on his website.) Even though this was a substantive interview, Derek and Andy didn't get around to asking many of the questions that they had wanted to pose -- e.g., Will you ever return to the unfinished "Atlas" storyline?, Will "Cafe Underground" ever be collected?, and When can we expect to see more Moxie and Toxie? -- but what they came away with was a truly engaging conversation with one of the most exciting, and one of the most underrated, creators in comics today.

Episode 127 - Reviews of Love and Rockets: New Stories No 7, Terrorist, and The Other Side of the Wall Mar 18, 2015

Show notes

On this week's episode of The Comics Alternative, Andy and Derek discuss three exciting new titles. The first is the latest volume of the Hernandez brothers' Love and Rockets: New Stories (Fantagraphics). It's alway a fun show when the guys get to discuss works by Jaime and/or Gilbert, and they're certainly in their element delving into the twists and intricacies of the Hernandez's narrative worlds. There's a lot to highlight in this Love and Rockets, but there are two matters that are particularly noteworthy. First, most of Jaime's contributions revolve around triangle of Maggie, Ray, and Hopey. As the Two Guys point out, readers weren't sure what to expect after the 2011 volume of the series, when Jaime wrapped up the "Love Bunglers" storyline. That narrative had a feeling of finality, almost as if the saga of Ray and Maggie was coming to some sort of conclusion. (There was a tiny glimpse of the characters in 2012's Love and Rockets: New Stories, No. 5, but that was more postscript than anything.) But in this most recent volume of the series, we get to see how Maggie and Ray are evolving after the latter's traumatic accident. What's more, Hopey is brought back into Jaime's story world in a significant way, something we haven't seen in years. The other major observation that the guys make concerns Gilbert's pieces, mostly concerning Killer in Palomar and her relationship with her aunt Fritz. Much as in the previous volume of Love and Rockets: New Stories, Beto spins an elaborate tale surrounding Fritz, her b-movie career, and her mother Maria (which also links up with Gilbert's standalone graphic novels, Maria M.), although this time the complication involves Fritz doppelgängers, wannabe actresses who emulate her work. Derek and Andy feel that Gilbert's work has been rejuvenated with his return to Palomar, and this latest installment further convinces them of that. After a long discussion of Love and Rockets, the guys next turn to two new releases from Graphic Universe, an imprint of the Lerner Publishing Group. The first, Henrik Rehr's Terrorist: Gavrilo Princip, the Assassin Who Ignited World War I, is a fascinating account of the man, or the men, behind the assassination of Austro-Hungary's Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914. While most of the book centers on Princip, his associations, and his evolution from an young student into a virulent Serbian nationalist, Rehr spends a significant amount of page space fleshing out the ill-fated Archduke, showing readers more of the man behind the historical persona. Indeed, one of Rehr's major accomplishments in Terrorist is presenting his subject matters, Gavrilo Princip and Franz Ferdinand, as complex and truly rounded figures, leading readers to feel conflicted sympathies that challenge traditional textbook accounts of the assassination. Perhaps even more significant, Rehr shows us the many intricacies underlying the ethnic conflicts in the Balkans that plague Europe to this very day. Derek and Andy wrap up their review show with a brief discussion of the other recent Graphic Universe book, Simon Schwartz's The Other Side of the Wall. This is an autobiographical account of the author's family as they attempt to emigrate from East Berlin in the 1980s, just a few years before the fall of the Berlin Wall. In his account, Schwartz reveals his parents' struggles against the loss of jobs, the alienation of family and friends, and the unremitting harassment of the Stasi. Along with Rehr's more "fictional" Terrorist, Schwartz's memoir is yet another example of how comics can effectively engage with history.

Interviews - Kyle Starks Mar 16, 2015

Show notes

On this interview show, Andy and Derek are happy to talk with Kyle Starks, the man behind the new book from Image, Sexcastle. The guys speak with Kyle about the book's origins as a successful Kickstarter campaign last year, how it captured the attention of the folks at Image Comics -- thanks to Matt Fraction -- and the vast support the book has been receiving from the creative community. Sexcastle is an homage to 1980s action movies complete with no-holds-barred fighting, monster trucks, egomaniacal villains, explosions, assassins, nunchucks, as well as a fair share of animals thrown in for good measure (such as a polar bear, a pooping peacock, and an evil cat). It is also the story of redemption, as the narrative's protagonist, Shane Sexcastle, attempts to leave behind his past life as a master assassin and find peace as humble florist. The Two Guys also talk with Kyle about his previous Kickstarter campaign, Legend of Ricky Thunder, as well as some of other earlier projects, including Punch Captain, Adventure Wizard, and Butts (all of which you can find through his website, KyleStarks.com). Along the way Kyle also shares his love of HeroesCon, the joys of Mert's soul food, and his distaste for commentary tracks on DVDs and Blu-ray. It's a fun interview, filled with thrilling talk that rivals the action found in Sexcastle.

On Location - General Comics Talk at Collected Comics and Games Mar 13, 2015

Show notes

As he does every month, Derek is back at his local shop, Collected Comics and Games in Plano, TX, to talk with customers and employees about what they are reading. For March, the topic is open and with no particular theme, so anything goes. And anything does go when Derek sits down with Shea Hennum, a long-time contributor to The Comics Alternative and, actually, the only customer who turned up to talk at the shop that evening. (For some reason, it was a very slow night at the store, for employees and customers alike.) The two guys cover a wide variety of topics, but they spend a little over half of their time discussing Scott McCloud's The Sculptor (First Second). It begins when Derek asks Shea about a recent review he wrote for Paste magazine, something that Andy alluded to in the last episode of the podcast. Shea was quite critical of McCloud's new graphic novel, and Derek wanted to know why, and so for over thirty minutes the guys go back-and-forth over the contexts and merits of The Sculptor. In some ways, this could be seen as a follow-up to this week's regular episode where Andy and Derek reviewed McCloud's work. But Shea and Derek discuss other topics and creators as well, including Jacques Tardi, Joe Sacco, underground comix, First Second's recent release of Last Man: The Stranger, and, because Derek is talking with Shea, several manga titles, including Naoki Urasawa's Monster, Seiichi Hayashi's Red Colored Elegy, and Rumiko Takahashi's Ranma 1/2. So despite the heavy critique that Shea brings to The Sculptor, there are plenty of good vibrations to be felt from this month's on-location episode.

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