The Comics Alternative

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Interviews - Craig Yoe Nov 18, 2013

Show notes

On this episode of The Comics Alternative Interviews, Gene and Derek talk with editor, archivist, comics historian, and pop cultural Renaissance Man, Craig Yoe. The interview gets off to a wild start with a discussion of Secret Identity: The Fetish Art of Superman’s Co-Creator Joe Shuster, a book that Craig says helped to put him on the publishing map. From there they highlight several of Yoe’s more recent releases, including his Haunted Horror series, Jack Cole’s Deadly Horror, Strange World of Your Dreams, The Art of Archie: The Covers, and the Ditko Monsters books. The Two Guys also ask Craig about his time with Disney, Nickelodeon, and especially his close association with Jim Henson and his experiences working on the Muppets. One of the most moving parts of the interview, in fact, is when Craig discusses his last meeting with Henson, the day of the legend’s untimely death. But the overall tone of the conversation is upbeat. It’s a free-flowing conversation filled with humor, horror, and erotic references. And it’s one of the most enjoyable interviews the guys have ever conducted!

Episode 61 - Publisher Spotlight on Vertigo Nov 13, 2013

Show notes

This week Andy and Derek return with another special Publisher Spotlight episode, this one devoted to Vertigo. Although the Two Guys with PhDs demonstrate superhuman abilities when tackling a variety of titles, it’s obvious that they cannot cover all of Vertigo’s history and output. Instead, they have decided to focus on the most recent wave of comics coming out from the imprint. This includes the many titles that have been released since the summer and in the wake of Karen Berger’s departure. Derek and Andy discuss the significance of these latest releases, what they suggest about the possible direction of the imprint, and how these comics fit within the larger history of Vertigo. The recent series that the Two Guys discuss include The Wake, 100 Bullets: Brother Lono, FBP: Federal Bureau of Physics, the new Astro City series, Trillium, Tom Strong and the Planet of Peril, Sandman: Overture, Hinterkind, Coffin Hill, and the new anthology The Witching Hour. They also focus on the narrative trajectories of some of Vertigo’s more established series, including the current run of The Unwritten, Fables, and Fairest. Here, they look at The Unwritten/Fables crossover and recent original graphic novels and collections such as The Unwritten: Tommy Taylor and the Ship That Sank Twice, Fables: Werewolves of the Heartland, and the upcoming Fairest in All the Land. As this episode aptly shows, Vertigo is still one of the most exciting places to find cutting-edge comics!

Interviews - Jeremy Whitley Nov 12, 2013

Show notes

On this Comics Alternative interview show, Gene and Derek talk with Jeremy Whitley, the writer of the Eisner Award-nominated Princeless series and the outgoing Director of Marketing at Action Lab Comics. Jeremy talks with the Two Guys about the genesis of Princeless, his upcoming work on My Little Pony for IDW, the place of all-age comics, and the representation of women — especially in its impact on girls and younger women — in comics today. He also shares his experiences in marketing for Action Lab over the years, as well as his hopes for his new role as the publisher’s Education Outreach Director. All in all, Gene and Derek have a great time talking with Jeremy about his work as a creator and his efforts behind the scenes at Action Lab.

Episode 60 - The November Previews Catalog Nov 06, 2013

Show notes

It’s the first of the month, so it’s time for the Two Guys with PhDs to look through the latest Previews catalog. Plus, Andy’s back on the podcast, so there’s a lot for him and Derek to catch up on. After Andy re-acclimates to the world of podcastdom, the guys plunge into the November solicits. They discuss upcoming titles such as Bad Blood #1, Serenity: Firefly Class 03-K64 – Leaves on the Wind #1, and Gasoline Alley, Vol. 1: The Complete Sundays 1920-1922 (Dark Horse); Showcase Presents: Men of War and The Unwritten, Vol. 2: Apocalypse #1 (DC/Vertigo); Basil Wolverton’s Weird Worlds: Artist’s Edition and Rio: The Complete Collection (IDW Publishing); Deadly Class #1 and Minimum Wage #1 (Image); the rerelease of the original Miracleman (Marvel); recent Archie comics; Revelations #1, Curse #1, and Hacktivist #1 (BOOM! Studios/Archaia); The Original Johnson Omnibus (Comicmix); The Twilight Zone #1 and Legenderry #1 (Dynamite Entertainment); Ant Colony (Drawn and Quarterly); Prison Pit, Book 5 and Nothing Eve (Fantagraphics); curious manga adaptations – Ulysses into comics? — from One Peace Books; Snow Piercer, Vol. 1: The Escape (Titan Comics); and USNA: United States of North America (USNA Publishing). Along the way, Derek and Andy see how many of their listening constituencies they can alienate…although Andy already has a head start, given recent reviews dissing him as closed-minded on The Comic Alternative‘s iTunes page. To that reviewer we say, “Bite us!”

Interviews - Kim Deitch Nov 04, 2013

Show notes

For the first in this new feature, the Two Guys with PhDs are proud to have as a guest comics legend Kim Deitch. His new book, The Amazing, Enlightening and Absolutely True Adventures of Katherine Whaley, was just published by Fantagraphics, and Tof and Derek begin their conversation by asking him about the genesis of the project. Kim reveals the history of Katherine Whaley, its links to “The Sunshine Girl” (in Deitch’s Pictorama) and The Search for Smilin’ Ed (both by Fantagraphics), and his fascination with early twentieth-century film and popular music. Along the way, they discuss some of Kim’s characters that recur in Katherine Whaley, some that do not (most notably, Waldo), the evolution of Kim’s art style, his fascination with storytelling, his strategies for keeping the creative juices flowing, and the inside scoop on Kim’s next book project. All in all, it’s a wonderful way to begin the new Comics Alternative Interviews feature!

Episode 59.1 - Halloween Special 2013 Oct 31, 2013

Show notes

The Two Guys with PhDs Talking about Comics return with their 2013 Halloween Special! In this episode, Gene and Derek discuss a variety of this year’s Halloween special issues, very recent horror titles, and series annuals themed to the season. (We know, we know…Halloween Classics: Graphic Classics, Vol. 23 came out in 2012, but we weren’t able to discuss this book last year, so we wanted to be sure we did so this time around.) They cover a lot of ground, highlighting as many new Halloween titles as they can, recommending most with a severed thumbs up. The titles they discuss include: Halloween Classics: Graphic Classics, Vol. 23, by various artists (Eureka Productions); Afterlife with Archie, by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Francesco Francavilla (Archie Comics); Adventure Time 2013 Spooktacular, by various artists (Kaboom!); Herobear and the Kid 2013 Annual, by Mike Kunkel (Kaboom!); Hellraiser 2013 Annual, by Clive Barker, Brandon Siefert, Ben Meares, Jesús Hervás, and Janusz Ordon (Boom! Studios); Grimm Fairy Tales 2013 Halloween Special, various artists (Zenescope Entertainment); Vampirella Halloween Special 2013, by Shannon Eric Denton and Dietrich Smith (Dynamite); The Mocking Dead #1-2, by Fred Van Lente and Max Dunbar (Dynamite); The Walking Dead: 10th Anniversary Edition, by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Dave Stewart (Image); The Walking Dead #115, by Robert Kirkman and Charlie Ablard (Image); Zombie Tramp, Vol. 2 #1, by Dan Mendoza (Action Lab); Vamplets, Vol. 1, by Gayle Middleton, Dave Dwonch, Amanda Coronado, and Bill Blankenship (Action Lab); Zombillenium, by Arthur De Pins (NBM); Boo! Halloween Stories, by various artists (MonkeyBrain). So put on your favorite homemade costume, slap on a little ghoulish greasepaint, grab your pumpkin head bucket, walk like a zombie, and enjoy the sweet, nougaty treats (no tricks here) of The Comics Alternative 2013 Halloween Special!

Episode 59 - A Review of Palookaville #21 and The Fox #1 Oct 30, 2013

Show notes

This week the Two Guys with PhDs review Seth’s Palookaville #21 (Drawn and Quarterly) and The Fox #1, by Dean Haspiel and Mark Waid (Red Circle Comics). They begin by providing a primer on Palookaville and the 16-year run (so far) of the serialized Clyde Fans. They spend a good amount of time talking about the latest installment of Clyde Fans, part four, and then move on to the two overtly autobiographical sections of this issue of Palookaville: “Rubber Stamp Diary” and “Nothing Lasts, Part One.” Both Gene and Derek are fascinated with the very concept of the former, using specially designed rubber stamps to keep an illustrated diary. And they are bowled over by “Nothing Lasts,” a section from one of Seth’s sketchbooks and a better story than most people’s finished comics. Next they turn their critical eyes to Haspiel and Waid’s The Fox, a new superhero title for Archie Comic’s Red Circle imprint. (Yes, we know that The Comics Alternative doesn’t focus on superhero comics, but this first issue is a notable and justifiable exception, especially since Dean Haspiel is a friend of Gene’s.) They comment on the history of The Fox, beginning back in the 1940s, and then discuss how Haspiel and Waid revive the character for current times. What the Two Guys discover inadvertently are the thematic similarities between The Fox – Haspiel’s critique of social and digital media — and Seth’s emphasis on the past and older printed materials. All in all, it is a fun review show for Derek and Gene, and they both wholeheartedly recommend Palookaville #21 and The Fox #1 to everyone.

Episode 58.1 - Celebrating Halloween ComicFest at Collected Comics Oct 28, 2013

Show notes

To celebrate this year’s Halloween ComicFest, the Two Guys with PhDs (talking about comics) paid another visit to Collected Comics in Plano, your one-stop-shop for everything thrilling and chilling! Gene and Derek were joined by Collected’s co-owner Brent Irwin, comics artist and friend of the show, Andy Hirsch, and Andy’s “Bob’s Burgers” companion, Natalie Khan. It was truly a ghoulish experience, made more so by the mayhem surrounding everyone during the podcast recording. Amongst crowds of customers, face-painted patrons, kids with loud toys, and Yu-Gi-Oh card players breaking tables, the Two Guys and their guests talked about the free Halloween ComicFest comics, recent horror-related titles, Andy’s work on Adventure Time and Regular Show comics, the experience of watching Saturday morning cartoons in the ’70s and ’80s, comics and library community outreach efforts, contentious definitions of the “graphic novel,” Dell and Gold Key TV show-based comics, Gene’s challenge to keep up with new weekly comics, and Derek’s disturbing revelation that his favorite Halloween costume experience was when he was dressed as a baby, complete with diaper, pacifier, and nippled bottle. Despite the latter obstacle, everyone had a fun time, and they managed to end the episode before the Yu-Gi-Oh hoard descended upon them. Experience the fun on this latest supplemental show!

Episode 58 - A Review of Rebetiko, Pachyderme, and The Outliers #1 Oct 23, 2013

Show notes

This week Gene and Derek review two new books (both translations from the French) and the first issue of a new series. They begin with David Prudhomme’s Rebetiko (SelfMadeHero), a narrative centered around a day in the lives of five rebetes, musicians who were a part of the Greek folk music subculture in the 1920s and 1930s. The characters are outcasts, living on the fringe because of their love of rebetiko — often called “Greek blues” — and treated as immoral influences. Prudhomme uses the music and the lifestyle as a structuring device for his narrative. The Two Guys then turn to Pachyderme (SelfMadeHero), Frederik Peeter’s surreal, dreamlike story of a woman who is searching — searching for her husband, whom she believes to have been in an accident; searching for her young female piano student, who elicits in her some sort of hidden passion; and searching for her own sense of self as a fully realized woman. The result is a free-flowing, associative story that seems to turn back on itself and resists closure. If you appreciate Charles Burns’s dislocated narratives, you’ll really enjoy Pachyderme. Finally, Derek and Gene discuss the first issue of Erik T. Johnson’s series, The Outliers (Panelvision Productions/Alternative Comics). Beginning almost two years ago as a Kickstarter campaign, this is Johnson’s adventure story of a speech-impaired boy who is able to see creatures living on the periphery of human consciousness, or outliers, that others cannot perceive. The guys are impressed by all three of the titles they discuss and heartily recommend that listeners run out to get these comics. This week is truly an alternative comics feast!

Episode 57.1 - Discussing Horror Comics at Collected Comics Oct 18, 2013

Show notes

It’s time once again for our monthly on-location show at Collected Comics in Plano, TX. This month the discussion theme is horror comics, a perfect topic for the Halloween season. On this show, Derek is joined once again by Shea Hennum as well as the shop’s assistant manager, Freddy Rick, the resident expert on all things horror. (Another store employee, Sabrina, even makes a brief vocal appearance on the podcast, sharing her uncanny love of vikings and cheese.) Among the many horror titles they discuss are The Walking Dead, Hellboy, Rachel Rising, EC’s New Trend line from the 1950s (including Tales From the Crypt, The Haunt of Fear and The Vault of Horror), Revival, Weird War Tales, Richard Corben’s Edgar Allan Poe adaptations, Swamp Thing, Hack/Slash, Locke and Key, almost anything by Steve Niles, and the pre-Code comics that Craig Yoe collects in his many volumes. So get your freaky fright on for this ghoulish installment of The Comics Alternative podcast!

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