The Comics Alternative

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Interviews - Nathan Hale May 16, 2014

Show notes

On this episode of The Comics Alternatives Interviews, Andy W. and Derek talk with Nathan Hale, a writer/illustrator and the genius behind the Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales series from Amulet Books. They begin with Nathan’s brand new volume about World War I, Treaties, Trenches, Mud, and Blood, and the meticulous work that went into it. As the Two Guys point out, this is perhaps Nathan’s most ambitious book to date, not only in terms of the intricate and detailed art, but also because of its vast sweep of political and military history. They ask the author about his unique narrative frame – the historical figure, Nathan Hale (no relation to the author), about to be hanged as a spy, yet with a complete knowledge of American history due to strange flying history book – and the way he applies it to all of the books in the NHHT series, including One Dead Spy, Big Bad Ironclad!, and Donner Dinner Party. The guys have a great time talking with Nathan about his work, asking him about his writing habits, his background in children’s picture books, his strategies in writing for an adolescent audience, and his responsibilities as a researcher and educator. So put on your historical thinking cap, plug in your podcast-listening device, and enjoy this conversation with Nathan Hale.

Episode 83 - Reviews of The Best of Comix Book, Insect Bath #1, and Cosplayers #1 May 14, 2014

Show notes

It’s Wednesday, which means it’s time for another regular episode of The Comics Alternative! This week, Andy and Derek really strut their alternative creds by focusing on three titles that keenly define “alternative.” First, they discuss the recent Dark Horse/Kitchen Sink book, The Best of Comix Book. This is a collection of comics culled from the original five-issue run of Comix Book, Marvel’s ill-fated attempt to partner with the underground comix movement of the early 1970s. The project was originally initiated by Stan “The Man” Lee and edited by underground maverick, Denis Kitchen. This recent collection features the work of such major underground comix figures as Justin Green, Trina Robbins, Kim Deitch, S. Clay Wilson, Skip Williamson, Lee Marrs, Joel Beck, Art Spiegelman, and Sharon Rudahl, and it includes a wonderful historical essay by James Vance. The Two Guys discuss the various pieces that are collected, comment on some of the artists represented here, and even speculate on why certain comics from the original run were included in this collection and why others were not. Next, Derek and Andy turn their attention to two new single issues from Fantagraphics: Insect Bath #1 and Cosplayers #1. Edited by Jason T. Miles, Insect Bath is an anthology of comics that could be called contemporary manifestations of the “underground.” In this way, the book transitions well from Comix Book, in that it very much carries on in the tradition of the underground, although with much more of a minicomics feel (and minicomics themselves are arguably the legitimate offspring of comix). The guys feel that the pieces included in this first issue of Insect Bath are hit or miss, but they are more excited about Dash Shaw’s Cosplayers. This is the first of a series — how many issues might there be? — where Shaw brings his experimental approach to a study of pop culture fandom. As Andy points out, Cosplayers feels much like a Daniel Clowes story, a far cry from what we saw last year in Shaw’s unconventional 3 New Stories and New School. There’s a lot packed into this episode, so plug in your earbuds and let’s get it on!

Episode 82 - The May Previews Catalog May 07, 2014

Show notes

It’s the beginning of the month, which means it’s time for Andy and Derek to flip through the latest Previews catalog. In this issue, they highlight a variety of books and comic-book series that will be coming out later this year, including new titles from Dark Horse (The Goon: Occasion of Revenge #1, Red Moon, and Sally Heathcote, Suffragette), DC/Vertigo (Bodies #1 and Trillium TP), Image (Low #1, Supreme: Blue Rose #1, Black Kiss 2: XXXmas in July Special, and Murder Me Dead), Adhouse Books (Youth Is Wasted), BOOM! Studios (Black Market #1), Dynamite Entertainment (The Devilers #1), Drawn and Quarterly (Benson’s Cuckoos), Fantagraphics (The Hip Hop Family Tree, Vol. 2, DKW: Ditko, Kirby, Wood, Jim, and Luba and Her Family), First Second (The Shadow Hero), Hill and Wang (Not the Israel My Parents Promised Me TP), and Knockabout Comics (Beatles with an A: The Birth of a Band). Among the highlights from this episode, you will hear: Derek’s frustration at not getting his copy of Previews in time, and thus, having to rely on a crappy text file; Andy renewing his ongoing resistance to anything with “steam” in the title; Fantasies about killing clowns; More gripes about series numbering and the shenanigans of Marvel; Derek going negative on Vertigo’s new attempt at an anthology, and then Andy advising Derek to readjust his expectations on anthologies. This this a fun episode? Of course it is! And it’s the kind of good quality podcasting you’ve come to expect from The Two Guys with PhDs Talking about Comics™.

Episode 81.2 - Interviews with Creators on FCBD 2014 May 06, 2014

Show notes

Part two of The Comics Alternative‘s coverage of Free Comic Book Day 2014. In this episode, Derek visits a couple of his local shops, Madness Games and Comics and Collected, both in Plano, TX, where he takes the opportunity to interview several creators at the shops for FCBD. First, he talks with illustrator and designer, Matthew Warlick. Derek had interviewed Matthew previously at last October’s Dallas Comic Con when he was there with the rest of the crew from Space Gun Studios, but this time around he talks with the artist one-on-one. Next, the Guy with a PhD Talking about Comics heads over to his home shop, Collected, to talk with several other artists and writers. There he finds Chad Ettelbrick, creator of the new beef-filled zombie comic, Bovine. Derek also talks with Garfield illustrator and good friend of the show, Andy Hirsch. The past year has been big for Andy — working on Adventure Time comics, doing more covers, expanding his presence at Kaboom! — and he talks about many of these experiences amidst the chaos of FCBD. Next, Derek speaks with an artist new to the biz, Jajo Rice, about his aspirations within the industry and his ideas for new comics. Finally, he shares words with Eddie Medina, a Dallas-based artist and designer who is also a podcaster! (In fact, Eddie was at Collected with Cole Houston, of the JediCole Universe, recording an on-location FCBD episode, as well.)

Episode 81.1 - Free Comic Book Day 2014 May 05, 2014

Show notes

On this special episode of The Comics Alternative, Derek is on location at Collected Comics in Plano, TX, talking with customers, cosplayers, and critical readers during Free Comic Book Day 2014. Joining him via the wonders of Skype (and despite some sound issues) is Andy Wolverton, who, unfortunately, was unable to take part in FCBD at his own local shop, Third Eye Comics, in Annapolis, MD. Instead, he joins in the FCBD activities from a distance, enjoying the fun virtually. He and Derek discuss the activity surrounding them at Collected Comics, talk with customers to find out what FCBD titles they’re getting, get the lowdown on local cons from gorgeous cosplayers, and plunge into recent comics news with friends of the show. The Two Guys had a lot of fun on Saturday, and some of their guests included a great guy named Rocky and his family, and also: uperfan and Friend of the Show, Laura Rogers; Dallas Fan Girl, Laura Gasera; and Krystle “Selina Kyle” Starr. Having been some days in preparation, a splendid time is guaranteed for all. So be sure to listen to this year’s coverage of Free Comic Book Day!

Episode 81 - Reviews of Hidden, Genesis, and World War 3 Illustrated #45 Apr 30, 2014

Show notes

This week on The Comics Alternative, Derek and Gene put on their happy faces to review three titles concerned with the positive and uplifting sides of life. First, they go through Loïc Dauvillier and Marc Lizano’s Hidden: A Child’s Story of the Holocaust (First Second), a new graphic novel focusing on genocide. A translation of the 2012 French album, L’enfant cachée, this is the story of a survivor telling her young granddaughter the traumas she underwent in 1940s France. Perhaps even more significantly, it’s a story about hiding: hiding from terror, hiding who you are, hiding your experiences, and hiding from your family. Among other facets of the book, the guys focus on the possible audience assumptions with this story, how it’s crafted for younger readers while at the same time having an all-age appeal. Next, they turn to Genesis (Image Comics), the new one-shot from Nathan Edmondson and Alison Sampson. Gene is uncertain about the issue, feeling that the story reaches for a deeper significance that it never really earns. Derek is a little more positive, arguing that Sampson’s intriguing (and at times, surreal) art goes a long way in carrying the weight of this quasi-parable. The story has everything to do with death and destruction…much like Hidden, and much like the next title that the Two Guys review. The latest issue of World War 3 Illustrated (distributed through Top Shelf Productions), #45, is described by editors Peter Kuper and Scott Cunningham as “the death issue.” All of the 31 contributions to this anthology have something to do with death, whether it be the passing of a family member, the “death” of an idea or identity, coming to terms with the end of life, or the presence of death in art and literature. As Derek and Gene discuss, some of the most moving, and most notable, pieces in this latest issue of World War 3 Illustrated include comics by Kuper, Rosalie Lightning and Tom Hart, Hayley Gold, Seth Tobocman, Sandy Jimenez, and Kevin C. Pyle. The tone of the comics discussed in this episode may be dark or heavy, but the stories are all fascinatingly told and well worth reading.

Interviews - Liana Finck Apr 28, 2014

Show notes

On this episode of The Comics Alternatives Interviews, Andy and Derek talk with Liana Finck, a New York-based artist whose first book, A Bintel Brief: Love and Longing in Old New York, has just been released through Ecco Press. In their conversation, the Two Guys ask Liana about the idea behind her project — based on the “Bintel Brief” section BintelBriefthat appeared in Der Forverts (The Forward) under Abraham Cahan’s editorship — how she discovered Cahan’s work and what it meant to her, and the autobiographical links that are present in the book. Liana also discusses her work as a graphic artist, her newness to comics writing, and future projects she currently has underway. In terms of the latter, you can follow her latest installments of the new serial, Diary of a Shadow, as well as see sample pages from A Bintel Brief, at her website, lianafinck.com.

Episode 80.1 - Our April Visit to Collected Comics Apr 25, 2014

Show notes

Derek is back at his local shop, Collected Comics in Plano, to discuss comics with the folks who frequent their aisles. Joining him this month are the assistant store manager, Freddy Ruiz, and loyal Collected customer and good friend of the shop, Laura Rogers. Together they cover a variety of topics and titles — from Garth Ennis’s violence to Brian K. Vaughn’s imagination, from individual buying habits to customer trends, from Star Wars to Big Trouble in Little China — and have a fun time doing so. They’re even joined by store employee Sabrina Smith, who is usually gun-shy when it comes to a podcasting microphone. She shares her experience with various disturbing comics, including the upcoming Itty Bitty Bunnies In Rainbow Pixie Candy Land. So sit back, get out your comic-book wish list, and join everyone at Collected in their audio romp through current comics-dom.

Interviews - Bob Fingerman Apr 24, 2014

Show notes

On this episode of The Comics Alternatives Interviews, Derek talks with Bob Fingerman, a man who knows what it’s like to work for Minimum Wage. They discuss Bob’s decision to bring back this landmark series though Image Comics, as well as the task of pulling together last year’s Maximum Minimum Wage (also from Image). In the interview, Derek asks Bob about any autobiographical links between him and his protagonist, Rob Hoffman, and he tries to corner Bob on whether or not Rob’s recently divorced spouse, Sylvia Fanucci, will make an appearance in the new series. Bob refuses to be cornered. Along the way they discuss the challenges of building a devoted readership, Bob’s fascination with the apocalypse and zombie stories, his forays into racial/gender politics, the joys (and limitations) of explicit sex and violence, the comics mainstream and “that Bob Fingerman feeling,” and the creative satisfaction one gets from making Bill O’Reilly a mutated and despicable villain of a decimated cultural landscape. (Wait…doesn’t this actually describe the real O’Reilly?) So get out your back issues of Minimum Wage, refresh your memory on Otis Goes Hollywood, search for that lost copy of Finger Filth, and enjoy this conversation with one of the most incisive cultural observers in comics today.

Episode 80: Reviews of Dead Letters #1, Shutter #1, Star Mage #1, and Edger Allan Poe’s The Premature Burial Apr 23, 2014

Show notes

In this episode of The Comics Alternative, the third of what promises to be an unprecedented five consecutive shows for a single week, Derek and Andy W. discuss four new #1 and one-shot issues. First, they look at Christopher Sebela and Chris Visions’s Dead Letters (BOOM! Studios), focusing on the story’s clever use of narrative gaps and art-driven action. Then they turn to Shutter (Image Comics), a new series from Joe Keatinge teams up with debut artist Leila del Duca. The guys love the initial setup, but nonetheless wanted more story in this inaugural issue. From there they delve into JC De La Torre and Ray Dillon’s Star Mage from IDW Publishing, and what promises to be an intriguing new sci-fi title. Finally, Derek and Andy wrap up with a long discussion of Richard Corben’s latest adaptation, Edgar Allan Poe’s The Premature Burial (Dark Horse Comics). They point out that the issue also includes an adaption of “The Cask of Amontillado” — in fact, “Cask” takes up more of the issue than does the titular feature — and that it works in similar ways to the other recent Corben adaptations of Poe for Dark Horse, leading up to the fall publication of the collection, Edgar Allan Poe’s Spirit of the Dead (Dark Horse Books). The Two Guys had a great time discussing these new comics, and you can join in on the fun as well by lending your ear to this week’s review show.

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