The Comics Alternative

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Interviews - Shannon Wheeler Apr 22, 2014

Show notes

The guys are back with another great guest for The Comics Alternative Interviews. This time, Gene and Derek talk with Shannon Wheeler, the creator of Too Much Coffee Man (Dark Horse Comics) and last year’s Astounding Villain House (Dark Horse Comics), as well as the illustrator of God Is Disappointed in You (Top Shelf). The conversation gets going by jumping into the Bible and how both Shannon and Mark Russell re-present the Old and New Testaments — and with strict fidelity of content — with a humorous yet straightforward manner in God Is Disappointed in You. Sure to be loved by atheists and Judeo-Christians alike! The Two Guys with PhDs also ask Shannon about his cartooning for The New Yorker, his penchant for clowns and death, the fine art of one-panel gags, and how his New Yorker rejects find new life in the collections I Thought You Would Be Funner and I Don’t Get It (BOOM! Town). They also talk with him about his work at Dark Horse, specifically Astounding Villain House, learning that Shannon has bigger long-range plans for that series. Oh, and there’s that Portlandia thing, too. There’s a lot of laughing in this episode, probably at least as much as you’ll experience when reading Shannon’s books. So join the fun and listen to the Two Guys’ conversation with a creator whose name is synonymous with the caffeine jitters!

Episode 79.1: A Discussion of the 2014 Eisner Award Nominations Apr 21, 2014

Show notes

On this special episode of The Comics Alternative, Andy and Derek devote the entire show to the 2014 Eisner Award Nominations. They take a close look at almost all of the categories, weighing in on their favorites nominees, commenting on the pros and cons of the picks, and speculating on the actual process of compiling the nominees list. What the Two Guys realize is that many of the comics that they reviewed in 2013, and many of the creators they interviewed over the past year, are noticeably present on the nominee list…leading Andy to believe that there is such a thing as a “Comics Alternative bump” for exposure and recognition. Derek, on the other hand, begins his efforts in pushing for more Comics Alternative recognition in the first of what will be five different episodes of the podcast for this week, making him (in the words of Andy) “the James Brown of comics podcasting.” So Derek feels good. You knew that he would.

Episode 79: Reviews of Rio: The Complete Saga, Judge Dredd: Mega City Two, and Rogue Trooper Apr 17, 2014

Show notes

This week on The Comics Alternative, Andy and Derek review three recent titles, all from IDW (they didn’t plan this…it just turned out that the comics they really wanted to discuss were all published by IDW). First, they focus on the late Doug Wildey’s collection Rio: The Complete Saga. This is a very nice paperback edition that is composed mostly of high-quality scans from Wildey’s original art — a lot like IDW’s Artist Editions, but they’re just much less expensive. The Two Guys praise Wildey’s storytelling, his mastery of the Western genre, his careful and detailed art, and his complex rendering of the title character. The only “downside” to this collection is the fact that Wildey didn’t create more Rio stories. Reading this edition leaves you not only thoroughly impressed, but also longing for more. Next, the guys look at two recent IDW serials: Judge Dredd: Mega City Two and Rogue Trooper. They point out that both titles have their genesis in the classic UK anthology, 2000 AD, and that these comics are the latest American handling of the properties. Andy helps to educate Derek on both titles, since Derek doesn’t have much experience with either. But what both of the guys emphasize is the fact that the two new series more or less stand on their own, and that readers don’t need extensive history with either Judge Dredd or Rogue Trooper comics to enjoy these comics.

Episode 78: The April Previews Catalog Apr 10, 2014

Show notes

It’s the beginning of another month, which means it’s time once again for Derek and Andy to flip through the pages of the latest Previews catalog. The Two guys find a lot of notable titles in this month’s Previews – with notable offerings from Dark Horse, IDW, Image, Drawn and Quarterly, and Fantagraphics – and they share their findings with the usual discerning and humorous mixture that have come to define the “Comics Alternative brand.” Among the moments in this week’s episode you will find: Derek’s joy at finding another Edgar Allan Poe adaptation from Richard Corben; Andy looking forward to the new DC trade release of a series he originally enjoyed back in the late 1980s, Cinder and Ashe; Derek ragging not only on the Angry Birds phenomenon, but on the fact that IDW is actually jumping on the bandwagon with their new Angry Bird Comics series; Andy’s semi-defense of Angry Bird Comics in pointing out the quality creators on the title; Derek still resists; the guys’ being pleased that Brian Winkeler and Robert Wilson IV’s digital comic, Knuckleheads, is being collected as a trade through IDW; the now-monthly wonderment at Image Comics’ output; the revelation of Andy’s love of Big Trouble in Little China; the podcast debut of Derek’s daughter, Zoe, in her explanation of the app game Doodle Jump; a celebration of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s new graphic novel, Seconds; highlights of the usual great output from Drawn and Quarterly (Everywhere Antennas and Petty Theft), Fantagraphics (Bomb Run and Other Stories, Heroes of the Comics, and the new edition of Special Exits), and First Second (Shackleton: Antarctic Odyssey); the Two Guys’ curiosity over Liz Plourde and Randy Michaels’s self-published How I Made the World; curiosity over Ray Fawkes’s new original graphic novel from Oni Press, The People Inside; and a discussion of Titan Comics’ acquisition of the Doctor Who license. There’s a lot packed into this episode, so sit back, relax, and enjoy the warm, satisfying goodness that is The Comics Alternative.

Episode 77 - Reviews of Aama, Vol. 1: The Smell of Warm Dust, Stray Bullets: Killers #1, and The Returning #1 Apr 03, 2014

Show notes

This week on The Comics Alternative, Andy Wolverton and Derek review three more new titles. First, they look at another great book from SelfMadeHero, Frederik Peeters’s Aama, Vol. 1: The Smell of Warm Dust. This is the first of a multi-volume series from this innovative Swiss creator. The Guys discuss Peeters’s skills at world-building and his ability to get inside and flesh out his protagonist, Verloc Nim. Next they take a look at two new #1 issues: David Lapham’s Stray Bullets: Killers (Image Comics) and Jason Starr and Andrea Mutti’s The Returning (BOOM! Studios). They spend quite a bit of time discussing the return of Stray Bullets, starting with the big new Uber Alles edition — which collects the original 40 issues of Stray Bullets, plus the recent conclusion of its last story arc in issue #41 — and then moving onto the new Killer arc. They place the new title in context of the entire series and draw out similarities between it and the earlier comics. Finally, they flip through The Returning, reading it as a different twist on undead narratives. While they recognize the premise as fairly common, they hold out hope that Starr and Mutti will take their mini-series in a unique direction.

Episode 76 - Reviews of The Park, Veil #1, and Sovereign #1 Mar 26, 2014

Show notes

This week on The Comics Alternative, Andy Wolverton joins Derek to discuss three new titles. First, they sift through Oscar Zarate’s new graphic novel, The Park (SelfMadeHero). The Two Guys focus on Zarate’s handling of character development, making The Park an engaging case study in family expectations and disappointments. They also comment on the lush art and how it sets the tone for the entire narrative. Next, they look at two #1 issues, beginning with the new series from Greg Rucka and Toni Fejzula’s Veil (Dark Horse Comics). Derek and Andy W. point out the various mysteries embedded in this first issue and how it propels the reader into the issues that will follow. Along with that, they discuss Fejzula’s artwork and how his pallet is the perfect match for Rucka’s dark and ambiguous narrative. From there they turn to Sovereign, the new series by Chris Roberson and Paul Maybury (Image Comics). While both guys had some initial reservations — there is a lot packed into this first installment, perhaps more than a single issue can adequately contain and maintain coherency — they nonetheless feel that this issue requires multiple readings to be adequately appreciated. They admire Roberson’s ambitious world-building, and both guys trust the writer to carry through and flesh out this world in subsequent issues. All in all, Derek and Andy W. have a fun time discussing these three new titles that they highly recommend to all listeners.

Episode 75 - Reviews of Sheltered Vol. 1, Dead Boy Detectives #1-2, The Royals #1, and Black Dynamite #1 Mar 20, 2014

Show notes

In this episode of The Comics Alternative, Gene and Derek look at a variety of recent comics. They begin by discussing the first volume of Sheltered (Image), focusing on the story’s concept and its pacing. Next, they look at two recent titles from Vertigo: Dead Boy Detectives and The Royals: Masters of War. Although both guys are excited that the two dead boys are with a new ongoing series — they first appeared in Neil Gaiman’s Sandman from the 1990s — they’re not sure that the current storyline is clarifying itself. With The Royals, both Derek and Gene are taken by the concept and think the first issue sets up an exciting miniseries. Finally, the Two Guys look at Black Dynamite (IDW). They’re intrigued by the series’ links to the Adult Swim cartoon — which itself is a spinoff of the 2009 Scott Sanders film — but they aren’t sure that the first issue fully establishes its parodic potential. In all, Gene and Derek want to see how the creators discussed in this episode follow up on the promise of their initial stories.

Episode 74 - A Review of The Joyners in 3D, Undertow #1, and White Suits #1 Feb 24, 2014

Show notes

In this episode of The Comics Alternative, Derek and Andy Wolverton discuss three new titles. They begin with the new book from R. J. Ryan and David Marquez, The Joyners in 3D (Archaia). They discuss the 3D aspect of the text and wonder if the special visual effects are really necessary. The story, though, is something worth reading, and the Two Guys recommend it on those grounds. You you don’t mind putting on cardboard glasses with red and blue plastic lenses, this book is definitely for you. Next they turn to #1 issues of two new series. With Steve Orlando and Artyom Trakhanov’s Undertow (Image Comics), they focus on the eye-capturing art and this first issue’s attempts at world-building. And while they still have a few questions about the series’ premise, they nonetheless feel that this title has a lot of promise and will continue on with subsequent issues. Next, Andy W. and Derek look at White Suits #1 (Dark Horse Comics), by Frank Barbiere and Tony Cypress. Again, they are taken by the art, especially Cypress’s use of a simple black-white-red pallet. Also, the guys note that the comic’s Cold War setting is something that will interest not only readers of noir narrative, but spy and espionage fans as well.

Interviews - Kel Symons Feb 21, 2014

Show notes

Episode 73 - A Review of Red Light Properties and The Fuse #1 Feb 19, 2014

Show notes

This week on the podcast Derek is joined by Andy Wolverton, yet another doctor who talks about comics…and a regular reviewer on The Comics Alternative blog. They review two new titles: Dan Goldman’s Red Light Properties (IDW Publishing) and issue #1 of Antony Johnston and Justin Greenwood’s new Image series, The Fuse. First, the Two Guys jump into Goldman’s latest work, which originally appeared in digital format through MonkeyBrain Comics. They discuss one of the book’s greatest strengths, the author’s handling of the human drama underlying this “horror” story — what Andy calls a mix between Ghostbusters and American Beauty – as well as Goldman’s digital art and his unique approach to visual storytelling. Next, Derek and Andy turn to the first issue of The Fuse, focusing on the title’s mash-up of procedural and science fiction narratives. While mixing detective stories with other genres is nothing new — Brubaker and Phillips’s Fatale is perhaps the best recent example here of another such comic — Johnston and Greenword present The Fuse as something fresh, making it one of the promising new series from Image Comics.

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