Comics Alternative

It’s the beginning of the month, and that means it’s time once again for the Two Guys with PhDs to delve into the latest Previews catalog. For November, there are a lot of interesting solicitations, more than the guys had expected for titles being released in the aftermath of the holidays. Some of the great upcoming comics they highlight include Murder Book, Demo, and Tex: The Lonesome Rider (Dark Horse); Effigy #1, Fables: The Wolf among Us #1, and Ocean/Orbiter Deluxe Edition (DC/Vertigo); The Squidder, and Imaginary Drugs (IDW Publishing); Casanova: Acedia #1, The Dying and the Dead #1, Criminal Special Edition One-Shot, and Big Hard Sex Criminals (Image Comics); Star Wars #1 and The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #1 (Marvel); Pirate Eye: Exiled from Exile #1 and Princeless: The Pirate Princess #1 (Action Lab Entertainment); Museum of Mistakes: The Fart Party Collection (Atomic Book Company); Fungus: The Unbearable Rot of Being (Big Planet Comics); the five new King Features titles from Dynamite Entertainment; F

On this episode of The Comics Alternative Interviews, Derek has a post-Halloween conversation with the creators behind BroadSword Comics, Jim Balent and Holly Golightly. They talk about their unique collaborative relationship — both personally and professionally — and their various creative endeavors over the years. More specifically, Derek asks them about their upcoming new Kickstarter campaign, “Crossover,” which will bring together the worlds of Jim’s Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose and Holly’s School Bites. In the corse of the conversation, the two artists share the story behind their strong work ethnic, Jim’s time illustrating Catwoman and its links to the character Tarot, the ins and outs of running a small press, Holly’s history with music celebrities (and 1980s pop culture), their many experiences with their dedicated fan base, the challenges of creating a webcomic, the impact of Holly’s social media savvy, and a few of the negative reactions they’ve received from social conservatives. They wrap up the

You’ll definitely find treats, and not tricks, on this special episode of The Comics Alternative. Derek and Gene take their annual look at the various comics being releases specifically for Halloween or published to coincide with the season. They begin with what is probably their favorite of the lot — at least Derek’s favorite — Richard Corben’s new book, Edgar Allan Poe’s Spirits of the Dead (Dark Horse). They point out that while this is an October release, the majority of the stories collected in this volume originally appeared as either single issues or in Dark Horse Presents over the past two years. This is yet another series of Poe adaptation from the great Corben, following his early work for Eerie and Creepy — and most recently collected in Creepy Presents Richard Corben — and Marvel’s Haunt of Horror: Edgar Allan Poe. (For more about Corben’s work on Poe, specifically commentary on the adaptations found in the new book, check out Derek’s recent interview with the artist.) Next the Two Guys turn to a

Andy and Derek are back with another special Publisher Spotlight episode of the podcast, and this time they turn their gaze to SelfMadeHero. The guys have reviewed a variety of SelfMadeHero books in the past, but this week they decided to devote an entire episode to the publisher’s fall releases. They begin with Jörg Tittel and John Aggs’s Ricky Rouse Has a Gun, a satiric look at copyright and corporate ownership, especially as it relates to Chinese appropriation of Western icons. At least, that’s what the Two Guys assumed the book would be about. Although this premise is teased out in the setup, they read Ricky Rouse more like a Die Hard shoot-em-up set in an amusement park. Next, they turn to Rob Davis’s Motherless Oven, a coming-of-age narrative set in a world that is both familiar yet fantastic. The book’s protagonist, Scarper Lee, attempts to come to terms with his deathday (as opposed to his birthday), with the help of rebellious school companions. Think of The Wall and Quadrophenia with a bit of sci-fi

For this year’s Halloween ComicFest, Derek is at his local shop, Collected in Plano, TX, to talk with customers, employees, and guests about the kind of Halloween and comics-related stuff going on this year. They discuss the kind of free comics being given out this year — such as reprints of Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight, Afterlife with Archie, Rachel Rising, and Marvel’s Secret Wars (which has nothing to do with Halloween or anything horror-related) — and the kind of costumes that everyone was wearing for the event. Derek also manages to talk with artist Jefferson Muncy and professional cosplayer Krystle Starr about the work that they do and what they’re bringing to the event. Among the highlights are strong recommendations for Terry Moore’s Rachel Rising series, a primer on the art scene in Dallas, a strange and disturbing story concerning a B-list (really, more of a C- or D-list) celebrity at last weekend’s Dallas Comic Con, and Derek’s futile attempt to find someone who actually watched the first epi

This week on the podcast, Derek and Andy discuss three new titles that range from the profound to the insane. They begin with the new book from Julie Maroh, Skandalon (Arsenal Pulp Press). It’s the story of a French rock star, Tazane, with international appeal and the power to move a vast legion of fans. The book is thesis driven, with Maroh exploring the dynamics, and the costs, of modern celebrity status and its affects on both the personal and collective psyche. Neither of the guys have yet read Maroh’s first graphic novel — and the one for which she’s best known — Blue Is the Warmest Color, but after digesting Skandalon they feel that their appreciation of the work may be enhanced, or at least contextualized, by the earlier book. Next, the Two Guys with PhDs move on the new work from Jeff Parker and Sandy Jarrell, Meteor Men (Oni Press). While at first they were skeptical of the potential formulaic nature of the narrative — aliens coming to Earth and the resulting aftermath — they’re fascinated by the way

It’s time for another visit to Derek’s local comics shop, Collected Comics and Games in Plano, TX, for an on-location podcast with customers and employees. This being the month of Halloween, the crew is talking about horror comics. The shop’s manager, Freddy Riuz, is BIG fan of the genre, so he helps to lead the talk on horror comics (and movies) in discerning ways. Joining in are customers Craig, Nick, Garrett, and Shea. Among the titles they discuss are Spread, Wytches, Nailbiter, Caliban, Ghosted, Through the Woods, George Romero’s Empire of the Dead, and of course, The Walking Dead. Don’t get spooked out. Just sit back and enjoy the terrifying talk from not-quite-so-undead fans.

On this week’s episode of the podcast, Andy and Derek explore the worlds of hardcore cohabitation, biographical brilliance, and wood witches. They begin with Henry & Glenn Forever & Ever, the new collection from Tom Neely and friends (Microcosm Publishing). This follows Neely’s original minicomic Henry & Glenn Forever and collects the four-issue miniseries published between 2013 and 2014. For those unfamiliar, this is a situational satire of metal rockers Henry Rollings and Glenn Danzig, working from the premise of their love for one another and placing their relationship in a variety of different sitcom-like scenarios. Tom Neely created the original, and more narratively substantive, stories of Henry and Glenn, but he has many of his artist friends — such as Mark Randolph, Ed Luce, Johnny Ryan, and Noah Van Sciver — contribute short pieces as well. Some stories are better than others, but the Two Guys conclude that the book as a whole is hilariously fun. Next, Derek and Andy turn to Masterful Marks: Cartooni

In the third of three podcasts shows recorded at this year’s Wizard World Austin Comic Con, here is a recording of the panel “Comics Podcasting and Blogging,” one organized by Derek and John Mayo of The Comic Book Page podcast. Joining them was Cole Houston of The Rantcor Pit: The JCU Star Wars Podcast and the Hey Kids, Comics! podcast. This discussion was devoted to the ins and outs of podcasting and blogging about comics and comic culture: how to get started, how to sustain content, how to address challenges, and how to ensure for future success. Each participant comes to comics podcasting from different perspectives — John is an old hat at this and has been podcasting since 2007, Cole juggles multiple podcasts, and (of course) The Comics Alternative looks specifically at alternative, indie, and non-superhero titles — and each shared advice, suggestions, and hard-won experience. There were a number of questions from the audience, and these were primarily about the basics of getting a podcast going and what

This week on The Comics Alternative, the Two Guys with PhDs (who talk about comics) start off with a veritable love-fest of Paul Pope comics. They begin by looking at two recent titles, The Rise of Aurora West (First Second) and Escapo (Z2 Comics). The first, co-written with J.T. Petty and with art by David Rubín, is a follow up to last year's Battling Boy, although it is not a sequel to that earlier narrative, but a prequel. Here we are introduced to the exploits of the daughter, and young apprentice, of the adventuresome Haggard West. We see Aurora's early development, the origins of Acropolis' monster problem, and the full extent of Haggard's crime-fighting acumen. All of this is presented in Rubín's action-soaked black-and-white illustrations that, while distinct from Pope's style, reads as a visual relative to the earlier Battling Boy. Next, Derek and Andy discuss Escapo, stories and art that were originally created between 1996 and 1998 -- early Paul Pope, reminiscent of what you'll find in One Trick Ri

In the second of three podcasts shows recorded at this year’s Wizard World Austin Comic Con, here is a recording of the roundtable discussion held on Saturday evening, “Why Teach Batman in College?: Comics and Academia.” Derek moderated the panel, and joining him on the roundtable were Sam Canon (from the University of Texas at Austin), Aaron Delwiche (Trinity University), Andrew Friedenthal (St. Edward’s University), and Jackson Ayers (Texas A&M University-San Antonio). They began by discussing the crossroads of academia and comics culture — and how their own love of comics has informed, and has been changed by, their work as comics scholars — and then quickly moved into such topics as the role of fandom in comics scholarship, the use of superhero comics in the classroom, comics as a literacy tool, the problems of canon formation, teaching the formal system of comics, the use of comics as cultural markers, comic genres and pedagogy, and approaching history and politics through comics. The panelists covered a

This past weekend Derek headed to the Wizard World Austin Comic Con, and there he was able to interview several creators and publishers populating the con’s Artist Alley. His guests included Brandon Seifert, the writer of Witch Doctor; Peyton Freeman and Brett Williams, the creators of the new comic The Box; Jason “Java” Croft, the publisher of Bachelor Pad Magazine; Dan Parent, renowned artist at Archie Comics; Austin and Adam Tinius, the creative force behind Bogus Books; Jamie Kinosian, author of the webcomic Gods in New York; Russ Manning Award winner Kevin Maguire; the general manager of Zenescope, Jennifer Bermel; and Jason Bienven, the creator behind the successful Kickstarter campaign, The Kingdom. These are fun and informative interviews, the kind of thing one hopes for when attending a con.

It’s the first of the month, and that means it’s time for the Two Guys with PhDs to look through the month’s Previews catalog. There are a number of things that catch their attention from the October solicits…that is, if they can actually see the catalog. Derek wasn’t able to get a copy of Previews in time for the podcast recording (his copy from DSBS was in the mail), so he had to rely on the uninformative order form found on the PREVIEWSWorld website. But Andy, who does have a copy, helps him by describing the visuals. Together they highlight upcoming releases from Dark Horse (Oink: Heaven’s Butcher) DC/Vertigo (Wolf Moon #1, North 40, and the final issue of Unwritten), IDW (Garbage Pail Kids Comic Book Puke-Tacular #1 and Corto Maltese: Under the Sign of Capricorn), Image Comics (Bitch Planet #1 and Graveyard Shift #1), Marvel (Miracleman Annual #1), Alternative Comics (Labyrinthectomy/Luncheonette), BOOM!! Studios (Abigail and the Snowman #1), Dynamite (Shaft #1), Fantagraphics (Vapor, Run Like Crazy Run

This week, Derek and Andy W. discuss three just-released (or soon-to-be-released) titles. First, they look at Dash Shaw's new book, Doctors (Fantagraphics). They begin by comparing it to some of Shaw's other recent work, specifically last year's New School and the miniseries Cosplayers, especially in his unique use of colors. At times the color patterns are clearly a part of the story, contributing to the meaning-making that is going on, but at other times they are used more subtly and with less apparent intentions. But what fascinates the Two Guys the most is the very premise of Doctors. It's a narrative that raises some profound questions, and it's one that might even work well in other media, such as adapted for television. Next, the guys discuss the new series from Grant Morrison and Frazier Irving, Annihilator (Legendary). In this first issue, the creators set up an intriguing premise that is pure Morrison: a story concerning a writer, where his reality and his creation ultimately collide. In Annihilator

On this special episode of The Comics Alternative, and just in time for Rosh Hashanah, Derek pulls together a variety of comics scholars for a lively roundtable discussion of Jewish comics. Joining him on the panel are Danny Fingeroth (author of Disguised as Clark Kent: Jews, Comics, and the Creation of the Superhero and Superman on the Couch: What Superheroes Really Tell Us about Ourselves and Society), Steven E. Tabachnick (author of The Quest for Jewish Belief and Identity in the Graphic Novel and editor of Teaching the Graphic Novel), Harry Brod (author of Superman Is Jewish?: How Comic Book Superheroes Came to Serve Truth, Justice, and The Jewish-American Way), and Steven M. Bergson (editor of The Jewish Comix Anthology). The conversation begins with a series of questions to help define "Jewish comics" -- What makes a comic "Jewish"? What exactly is Jewish content? Does the ethnic background of the creator matter? Can a non-Jew write a Jewish comic? -- the answers to which are mostly left open-ended. The

On this episode of The Comics Alternative Interviews, Derek and Andy are honored to have as their guest one of their all-time comics heroes, Gilbert Hernandez. They begin the conversation by asking Gilbert about his two new books, Bumperhead (Drawn and Quarterly) and Loverboys (Dark Horse), and then discuss with him his work on Love and Rockets, his Fritz b-movie books, and the sheer volume of his recent output. Much of the conversation, at least in terms of Bumperhead, centers on the more autobiographical side of Gilbert's recent comics, presented most notably in last year's Marble Season. And given their focus on the artist's own life, of course they discuss 1970s rock -- "the Eagles suck" -- the role of punk, and impulsive teenage hormones. The Two Guys are also curious about the place of Loverboy in Gilbert's body of work, asking him if it is a de facto Fritz story -- the character, Mrs. Paz, bears the most distinguishing Luba family trait -- and even a return, of sorts, to the world he created with his P

On this week's regular episode, Andy and Derek discuss three new titles. They begin with Shoplifter (Pantheon), the first graphic novel from artist Michael Cho. Among the book's many strengths, the guys highlight Cho's art, the book's monochromatic palette, Cho's narrative pacing, and his characterization. Andy is especially struck by Cho's representation of the advertising world -- having once worked briefly in that field, he can empathize -- and Derek finds the book's greatest strength lying in its handing of social media and interpersonal communications. While there is a danger that the story may veer into the territory of cliched romanticization -- its protagonist, Corinna, wants to get away from it all to become a novelist -- Cho never ultimately takes that direction, making this an impressive debut. Next, the Two Guys look at another new book from Pantheon, Charles Burns's Sugar Skull. This is the third and final work in his recent trilogy, following X'ed Out (2010) and The Hive (2012). On top of Burns'

Andy W. heads to this year's Small Press Expo, and there he talks with fifteen different creators about their work, their upcoming projects, and their experiences at the expo. In this special episode, you'll hear brief interviews with James Kochalka, Box Brown, Ellen Linder, Michael DeForge, Renee French, Ed Piskor, Jason Shiga, Nate Powell, Gregory Robison, Evan Dahm, Rachel Dukes, Luke Howard, B. M. Prager, Lucy Bellwood, Noah Van Sciver. There are a lot of fun nuggets packed into this show, so enjoy SPX vicariously through the interview prowess of Andy.

Derek is back at his local shop, Collected Comics and Games in Plano, TX, for a fun talk with customers and employees. For September, regulars on the on-location shows said that they wanted to discuss fantasy comics. And although some of those fantasy fans weren't in attendance this month, everyone there -- Shea, Nick, and Craig -- nonetheless tried to highlight that theme. At least Derek did, bringing up titles such as Rat Queens, Cerebus, Saga, and Zenescope's Grim Fairy Tales. The problem was that many of those present weren't familiar with or even liked many of these titles, so the talk on those comics was rather truncated. Still, there was a lot to discuss this month, and the conversation ranged from recent new releases to erotic comics to the television series The Strain. At one point, Derek and Shea go off on a tangent about plot, almost turning the discussion into a mini-course on narrative theory. But the discussion always comes back to comics, and there was plenty of that to take them through the ep

This week the Two Guys with PhDs are rappin’ to the beat with two new books that will funk you up. That’s right, DJ D and Kunka Kool spend this episode getting down with Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill’s The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen III: Century (Top Shelf/Knockabout) and Ed Piskor’s Hip Hop Family Tree 2 (Fantagraphics). First, they look at the latest hardbound collection from Moore and O’Neill, bringing together all three of their previously published Century installments: 1910, 1969, and 2009. The guys spend a good deal of time discussing the kind of readers that come to The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, what their expectations might be, and how some may not be ideal for Moore’s kind of writing. Can those unfamiliar with the previous League stories truly comprehend what’s going on in Century? Can readers unfamiliar with — or uninterested in — literary and pop-cultural marginalia come away from the book with an understanding of what Moore is attempting to do? These are some of the questions Andy