The Comics Alternative

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Episode 49 - The August Previews Catalog and Our One-Year Anniversary! Aug 07, 2013

Show notes

This week on The Comics Alternative Andy and Derek celebrate their one-year anniversary! The podcast began one year ago this month — August 1, 2012, was the inaugural episode — and the Two Guys with PhDs mark the event by doing what they do best: bringing you insightful commentary on upcoming titles and comics news. Most of this episode is devoted to the August Previews catalog, but Andy and Derek also discuss the significance of the podcast’s mission, their plans for future shows, the August Comics Alternative giveaway, and the various correspondences they have recently received. Regarding the latter, they respond to an email from Jackie Estrada, an administrator for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, concerning last week’s roundtable discussion on SDCC and the Eisners. The Two Guys address the administrator’s concerns, apologize for certain oversights, and place last week’s comments within a larger context (including their previous conversations on the 2013 Eisner Award nominees). There is a lot packed into this week’s episode — over two-hours worth! — and the guys hope that you join in their anniversary celebration by lifting a pint, turning on your podcast-listening device, and enjoying the warm nougaty goodness that is The Comics Alternative.

Episode 48 - A Roundtable Discussion on SDCC and the Eisner Awards Jul 31, 2013

Show notes

This week on The Comics Alternative podcast, John Mayo (of the Comic Book Page) and Chris Marshall (Collected Comics Library) return for another roundtable discussion with the Two Guys with PhDs. This time the topic is the San Diego Comics Con and the Eisner Award ceremony that took place there. They begin by asking John how his experience was in San Diego — he was the only one of the four to actually attend — and what for him were the highlights of the event. They talk quite a bit about the many happenings at the con, both comic-related and otherwise, and then discuss the coverage of the con in the media. Next, they turn their attention to the 2013 Eisner Award winners, trying to make sense of what the results may reveal (or not reveal) about the current state of comics as well as the attitudes and biases of the selection committee. The four podcasting guys also pick apart the various award categories, noting their histories and how many of them have changed over the years. For example, they point out the weaknesses with the “Best Digital Comic” category (too broad, too ill-defined), suggest ways of reconceptualizing the award for comics-related journalism, and even problematize the idea of the “Best Graphic Album-New.” (Is Building Stories really an “album”? Doesn’t it actually contain a lot of reprinted material?) It may be a bit of Monday morning quarterbacking, but they don’t care. Chris, John, Andy, and Derek have a great time discussing and sharing ideas, and you can experience the fun by listening to the podcast.

Episode 47 - Publisher Spotlight on Valiant Comics Jul 24, 2013

Show notes

This week the Two Guys with PhDs Talking about Comics are doing something they’ve never done before: devoting an entire episode to a specific publisher. And this first time out they’ve decided to focus on Valiant Comics and all of the various (and relaunched) titles that they began putting out last year. It is a formidable task, but Andy and Derek are up to the challenge! They begin this Publisher Spotlight by discussing one of their favorites of the group, Archer and Armstrong, briefly look at the latest title, Quantum and Woody, and then move on to Harbinger, Bloodshot, and the Harbinger Wars crossover event, the new Valiant’s first. They also weigh in on X-O Manowar and Shadowman, as well as speculate on some of the new titles and events on the horizon, such as Eternal Warrior, Bloodshot and H.A.R.D. Corps, and the new Sect Civil War crossover. Not only do Andy and Derek look in-depth into each individual series, but they also discuss the broader picture, trying to find some of the common features and themes that compose the new Valiant universe. They also debate whether or not the relaunched titles are actually superhero comics, or if perhaps they may be better described as mashups of different (and competing) genres. There’s a lot that goes on in this episode, jam-packed with comics goodness, and the Two Guys with PhDs feel that they’ve thrown down the critical gauntlet for all future discussions of Valiant.

Episode 46 - An Interview with Matt Fraction Jul 17, 2013

Show notes

This week the Two Guys with PhDs Talking about Comics are excited to have as their guest creator extraordinaire, Matt Fraction. They talk with Matt specifically about his new series through Image Comics, Satellite Sam (with Howard Chaykin on art) and Sex Criminals (with Chip Zdarsky), but they also take the opportunity to discuss other works of his, such as the current Hawkeye series, his Casanova comics, and graphic novels such as The Five Fists of Science. Perhaps one of the most enlightening moments of the interview concerns issue #2 of Satellite Sam, where Matt points out that you can indeed letter the sound of “whiskey dick.” But comics aren’t all that the guys discuss. Andy, Derek, and Matt also spend a lot of time talking about, ShitMyHowardSays, underrated works from Stanley Kubrick, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, Fredric Wertham, and Matt Helm movies! It’s a veritable smorgasbord of pop cultural fun! However, Andy comes away from the experience a changed man, wondering if his love of everything Dean Martin has all been for naught. “Nothing gold can stay, Ponyboy.”

Episode 45 - The July Previews Catalog Jul 10, 2013

Show notes

The Two Guys with PhDs Talking about Comics are back for their monthly look at the Previews catalog. This July they highlight many of the new comics coming out from Dark Horse, DC/Vertigo, IDW, Image, Action Lab Entertainment, Archaia, Archie Comics, Avatar Press, Dynamite Entertainment, Drawn and Quarterly, Fantagraphics, First Second, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, NBM, among many others publishers. Along the way, Andy and Derek also bring in various and sundry topics, such as the guys’ love of The Rockford Files, strategies for collecting Wacky Packages stickers, Andy’s shameful lackluster appreciation of The Beatles, the Captain Action action figure, Hello Kitty is made of kittens!, Hall and Oates, Satan worshipers, and Derek and Andy’s idea for a new reality show, “Put That in Your Underpants”! Lots o’ comics, lots o’ discussion, and lots o’ fun. What more could you ask for in a comics podcast?

Episode 44.1 - Discussing Comics about America at Lone Star Comics Jul 05, 2013

Show notes

Andy and Derek are back at Lone Star Comics in Plano, TX, and this month they’re talking about American-themed comics with the scheduling manager of the shop and good friend of the show, Shea Hennum. Since this is the month of Independence Day, the Two Guys with PhDs thought it would be a great opportunity to focus on comics about the United States, its history, its culture, and its people. Among the many comics they discuss are Harvey Pekar’s American Splendor, Steve Darnall and Alex Ross’s Uncle Sam, John Ridley and Georges Jeanty’s The American Way, Howard Chaykin’s American Flagg, Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon’s Preacher, Dennis O’Neil and Neal Adams’s Green Lantern/Green Arrow comics of the 1970s, Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing, the Marvel event Civil War, the various incarnations of Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters, and Paul Pope comics. They also talk about other kinds of comics, such as Adventure Time, Brandon Graham’s Prophet (which Derek does like, thank you very much), Frank Young and David Lasky’s The Carter Family, Garth Ennis’s Fury MAX, and erotic comics, among others. They also give their two cents on the recent announcements on the acquisition of Archaia by Boom! Studios and on Kitchen Sink joining forces with Dark Horse. And as an extra added bonus, you get to hear Shea, Andy, and Derek describe what they plan to do for the July 4th holiday (nothing exciting, really). The Two Guys with PhDs also name the winner of their July contest and announce the theme of next month’s Lone Star Comics discussion and giveaway: all-age comics. So be sure to check back in August for that episode!

Episode 44 - An Interview with Derek McCulloch and Colleen Doran Jul 03, 2013

Show notes

This week on The Comics Alternative the Two Guys with PhDs speak with the creators behind Gone to Amerikay (Vertigo), Derek McCulloch and Colleen Doran. Here you get a behind-the-scenes look at the making of this important work, including the genesis of the book, McCulloch’s strategies for crafting his narratives, the curious inspirations for Doran’s art, and the incredible synergy that brought the project to life. Andy and Derek R. also talk with Colleen and Derek M. about some of their other projects, including Colleen’s A Distant Soil and Orbiter (along with Warren Ellis), as well as Derek M.’s graphic novel, Stagger Lee (with Shepherd Hendrix). What better way to start off July, the month of our nation’s independence, than discussing a book that taps deep into the American Experience?

Episode 43 - A Review of #1 Issues of 100 Bullets: Brother Lono, Astro City, Six-Gun Gorilla, and Lazarus Jun 26, 2013

Show notes

This week on The Comics Alternative, the Two Guys with PhDs review several #1 issues that have come out in the past couple of weeks. First, they discuss two Vertigo titles, Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso’s 100 Bullets: Brother Lono, and Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson’s Astro City. Andy and Derek spend a bit of time discussing the earlier series that these new comics are based on, but they also point out how both of these #1 issues are good jumping on points and accessible to readers unfamiliar with 100 Bullets and the earlier Astro City works. In addition, they argue that these two titles are just another indication that earlier worries about Vertigo’s fate might have been misplaced. Next they move on to Six-Gun Gorilla (Boom! Studios), written by Simon Spurrier with art by Jeff Stokely. The guys note the unique atmosphere of this title, science fiction in what appears to be a late-nineteen-century-like setting, and of course allude to the original pulp story, serialized in the UK magazine Wizard in 1939, that this comic is based on. Next, Andy and Derek look at another kind of science fiction mashup, Greg Rucka and Michael Lark’s Lazarus (Image Comics). This new ongoing series has a lot of promise, and the guys point out how the creators do an incredible job of setting up their premise in this first issue. If these are the kind of #1 issues we can expect to see this summer, then hold onto your sunscreen…the fun is just beginning!

Episode 42 - A Review of The Voyeurs, The Mire, and Demeter Jun 19, 2013

Show notes

This week the Two Guys with PhDs review Gabrielle Bell’s latest book, The Voyeurs (Uncivilized Books), as well as two self-published comics from Becky Cloonan, The Mire and Demeter. This is the perfect episode to follow last week’s roundtable on the mainstream-indie comics divide, in that the work of both Bell and Cloonan exemplify many of the points raised in that discussion. First, Andy and Derek do an in-depth reading of The Voyeurs, placing it within the larger context of Bell’s body of work. They emphasize the semi-autobiographic nature of the book, while at the same time pointing out how much of The Voyeurs is more ambitious than her earlier comics, combining many of the best features found in her Lucky series (collected in 2003) and the more fictional Cecil and Jordan in New York (2008). The guys then move on to Becky Cloonan’s recent self-published comics, The Mire (a 2013 Eisner Award nominee) and Demeter. After briefly discussing some of Cloonan’s mainstream work, such as American Virgin (with Steven T. Seagle, 2006-2008) and Demo (with Brian Wood, 2003 and 2010), Andy and Derek move quickly into the independently published comics, highlighting many of the features that set these titles apart from her mainstream work. They specifically focus on the poetic quality of both The Mire and Demeter, seeing these comics as sophisticated and almost elusive narratives that challenge the reader in significant ways.

Episode 41.1 - Hanging Out at HeroesCon Jun 13, 2013

Show notes

Andy and Derek are back for another of their Point One episodes, and this time they’re on the floor of HeroesCon, taking place on June 7-9 in Charlotte, NC. Andy was there for the entire weekend — as is his annual tradition — and Derek was able to get there for Sunday, the last day of the con. So the Two Guys with PhDs Talking about Comics were able to join forces and leap into action, schmoozing and cavorting and interviewing a number of creators/publishers in Artist Alley. You’ll hear in this show some of the fruits of their encounters, brief conversations with John Layman, Duffy Boudreau, Peter Bagge, Evan Dorkin, Eric Powell, Andy Hirsch, Jim Ottaviani, and Maris Wicks, among others. Also on this episode Andy shares some of his memorable HeroesCon encounters, and Derek reveals his suspect use of the word “wacky.” A great time was had by all, and we hope you enjoy listening to some of the fun the Two Guys had this past weekend.

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