Hold on to your butts! It's another substantive, jam-packed episode where the Two Guys look through the latest Previews catalog. And for May, Andy W. and Derek see a lot of good stuff, enough to make this a longer-than-average episode. (Yes, the guys are going into 2+ hours territory again, but only slightly.) Among the many solicits Andy and Derek highlight are of titles from publishers such as Dark Horse Comics - Black Hammer #1 (again!), Angel Catbird , and The Battles of Bridget Lee DC/Verti...
May 04, 2016•2 hr 9 min
It's not often that Chester Brown comes out with a new book, but his latest, Mary Wept over the Feet of Jesus , was released last month from Drawn & Quarterly...giving the Two Guys with PhDs an occasion to celebrate. And compounding that celebratory spirit is the fact that the artist is now appearing on The Comics Alternative podcast! In this episode, Andy and Derek are pleased to have Chester as their guest, where they talk with him about his new book, the research that went into it, and th...
May 02, 2016•1 hr 13 min
On this interview episode, Gwen and Derek are pleased to have as their guest Tony Cliff, the creative mind behind the Delilah Dirk series. His latest book, Delilah Dirk and the King's Shilling , was released last month from First Second. In the interview, our adventurous podcast explorers ask Tony about the genesis behind the series, the influence of Jane Austen novels and films like Raiders of the Lost Ark , Delilah Dirk's original appearance in Kazu Kibuish's Flight series, the challenges of w...
Apr 30, 2016•1 hr 34 min
This month, Shea and Derek have a fun time discussing two recent manga releases. They begin with the first volume of Akiko Higashimura's Princess Jellyfish (Kodansha), a series that is new to both of the guys. In fact, Derek comments that he might not have given this title a try if they hadn't decided to discuss it for the podcast. Given the "princess" part of the book, he had wondered if this might not be too cute for him, a fluffy shojo title that may not appeal to him (while at the same time,...
Apr 29, 2016•1 hr 17 min
This week the Two Guys with PhDs focus a critical spotlight on the spring releases coming out from Alternative Comics and the other small presses that are part of its distribution co-operative, Floating World Comics, Hic + Hoc Productions, Study Group Comics, and Press Gang. This is a jam-packed episode and longer than usual, a discussion that covers eighteen different titles among the five indie presses. Before they jump directly into the comics, though, Derek has a brief conversation with Marc...
Apr 27, 2016•2 hr 17 min
Hi everyone. Just a quick message to say that we’d like for you to nominate The Comics Alternative for the 2016 Podcast Awards. Please go to http://podcastawards.com and nominate us for the "People’s Choice" award and one other category…”Arts” seems to be one of the better fits for our podcast. The nominations close on April 30th, so be sure to make your voice heard now. We know that there are a lot of you dedicated listeners out there, and we appreciate your support. Again, go to http://podcast...
Apr 23, 2016•2 min
Another month, and another visit to Collected Comics and Games in Plano, TX. For the April on-location episode, the topic is open, so Derek talks with customers and employees about whatever comics-related matters come to mind. Sabrina, the shop's manager, begins by discussing the preparations she's making for Free Comic Book Day, and then she gives a rundown of the DC Retailer Roadshow event she attended last week. There, Dan Didio, Jim Lee, and various marketing folk at DC shared their plans fo...
Apr 22, 2016•1 hr 22 min
This week Gwen and Derek take a look at three new titles, each of which is as visually stunning as it is a great story. They start off with Manuele Fiore's 5,000 km Per Second (Fantagraphics), translated from the Italian by Jamie Richards and winner of both the Grand Prize at the 2010 Lucca Comics Festival and the Best Album at the 2011 Angoulême Comics Festival. Fiore's is a pensive, somber tale of two individuals who become romantically involved but ultimately go in separate directions. The na...
Apr 20, 2016•1 hr 4 min
For April, Sean and Derek look at three very different webcomics, each a standout in its own way. They begin with Der-shing Helmer's The Meek , the fantastical story of Angora, a young innocent -- even feral -- girl sent on a quest that could save her world. But Angora's isn't the only narrative thread making up this webcomic. We're also introduce to Luca deSadar and his family, rulers of the Northern Territories, and to Soli Areni, a mercenary with a secret to hide and whose jobs aren't always ...
Apr 18, 2016•1 hr 35 min
On this special on-location episode, Derek poses a series of questions to Sonny Liew during his recent visit to the University of Texas at Dallas. Sonny was a guest speaker for the School of Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication, and he talked with the audience about his new book, The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye , as well as his experiences within the comics industry. During the exchange, Sonny presented selections from his portfolio and fielded a variety of questions from students and ...
Apr 15, 2016•1 hr 3 min
This week's episode is a Hernandez-centric show. On it, the Two Guys with PhDs play a little catch-up with some of Gilbert and Jaime's comics that have come out over the past few months. They begin with the latest installment of Love & Rockets: New Stories (Fantagraphics), and most of the tales in this volume continue what began in last year's annual. In fact, both Andy and Derek feel that New Stories 8 can be best appreciated, and better understood, when read alongside its predecessor . Jai...
Apr 13, 2016•1 hr 37 min
It's the first week of April, so that must mean that it's time for the Two Guys with PhDs to look through the latest Previews catalog. This month, Andy Kunka is back for his first Previews show of 2016 -- where has the time gone? -- so Derek helps him to shake off the cobwebs and get down to deep solicitation-reading business. Among the many upcoming releases they highlight are titles from publishers such as Dark Horse Comics - Weird Detective #1, Alena , and Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan: The Co...
Apr 06, 2016•1 hr 59 min
This week on the podcast, Gwen and Derek look at three very different recent titles. They begin with Carlos Giménez's Paracuellos . The original first two volumes of this comic, published in Spain in 1977 and 1982, have now been collected into a single-volume English translation (by Sonya Jones) and published by IDW's EuroComics imprint. The Paracuellos strips are Giménez's autobiographical look at his time in several of the Social Aid "homes" that were a part of Francisco Franco's fascist Spain...
Mar 30, 2016•1 hr 15 min
For the March episode of The Comics Alternative 's manga series, Shea and Derek discuss two recent releases, both by Inio Asano: A Girl on the Shore (Vertical Comics) and Goodnight Punpun, Vol. 1 (VIZ Media). Before they plunge into those titles, though, they provide a bit of context about Asano's style and briefly discuss his other works that have been translated into English. The guys primarily reference Solanin and Nijigahara Holograph as key Asano texts, but they also mention the two-volume ...
Mar 28, 2016•1 hr 19 min
Derek is back at his local shop, Collected Comics and Games in Plano, TX, for the March on-location episode of podcast. (Unfortunately that was no February episode at Collected due to unforeseen circumstances.) While there, he talks with several shop employees and customers about a variety of comics-related matters. Folks spend a lot of time discussing some of the titles they've been reading lately. Matt Kuzio, who usually participates in these shows, was unable to be there this month, but he sh...
Mar 25, 2016•1 hr 21 min
The Two Guys with PhDs are back with another publisher spotlight, and this time the focus is on AfterShock Comics. This is a new publisher that began soliciting their titles back in the fall and then releasing their initial series in December 2015. With editorial oversight by two veterans of the mainstream, Mike Marts and Joe Pruett, AfterShock has been bringing in some major-league talent to write and illustrate their comics, which is something that Andy and Derek noted when they first caught w...
Mar 23, 2016•1 hr 49 min
This month, both Gwen and Andy are battling colds, so it’s “Two sick people with PhDs talking about comics for young readers!” But there’s nothing unhealthy about the three comics Gwen and Andy discuss on this month’s show: Royden Lepp's Rust: The Boy Soldier (Archaia/BOOM! Studios), Sara Varon's Sweaterweather and Other Short Stories (First Second), and MK Reed and Joe Flood's non-fiction book, Dinosaurs: Fossils and Feathers (First Second). They begin with Rust: The Boy Soldier , and they foun...
Mar 18, 2016•58 min
This week on the review show, Andy and Derek focus on two notable titles, one that has been greatly publicized and the other that has come in under the radar. The former is Daniel Clowes’s Patience (Fantagraphics), the creator’s long-awaited release and his first new book since 2010’s Wilson . ( Mr. Wonderful and The Death-Ray , both published in 2011, had been previously published in different formats.) In fact, the guys begin by discussing the publicity and the excitement surrounding this even...
Mar 16, 2016•1 hr 34 min
On this month's webcomics show, Sean and Derek discuss three relatively fresh titles. They begin with Lho Brockhoff's The Lost Oracle , a webcomic that began in July 2015 and is just into its third chapter. This is a fantasy about a young girl, Amra, raised in an abandoned city and longing to see the world beyond. Yet, unbeknownst to Amra, some on the outside are seeking her, as well, and it's not entirely clear what this quest will have in store for the innocent protagonist. Next, the guys take...
Mar 14, 2016•1 hr 5 min
This week the Two Guys with PhDs Talking about Comics discuss three very different titles. They begin with Joshua W. Cotter's Nod Away (Fantagraphics), an ambitious sci-fi narrative that explores the impact, and the costs, of technological progress. At least that's what the guys think the book might be about. As both Andy W. and Derek point out, one of the distinguishing features of this book is its ambiguous or equivocal nature. There are many moving parts to this story -- hive communication, i...
Mar 09, 2016•1 hr 21 min
The Two Guys are back with the second half of their marathon interview with Evan Dorkin. This installment picks up where yesterday's segment left off, in a discussion of the Beasts of Burden series. Derek asks if this Dark Horse title has become a defining work of Evan's, if he's now known as the " Beasts of Burden guy" instead of the " Milk and Cheese guy." And Evan goes on to share some information on the next comic in the series, What the Cat Dragged In , and his continued working relationshi...
Mar 08, 2016•1 hr 37 min
Have you ever listened to an interview on The Comics Alternative and thought, "That was good, but I wish the Two Guys had talked longer with their guest?" If so, then this conversation will scratch that itch...and more. In this episode Gene and Derek have the pleasure of talking with Evan Dorkin, and getting much more than they bargained for. In fact, the interview lasted over two hours and forty-five minutes, so the guys decided to break up the conversation over two episodes. In this first half...
Mar 07, 2016•1 hr 34 min
For Will Eisner Week 2016, Derek talks with Eisner's authorized biographer, Bob Andelman. The second edition of his book, Will Eisner: A Spirited Life , was released last summer by TwoMorrows Publishing, expanding significantly on the 2005 edition in a deluxe, full-color volume. In the conversation, Bob discusses the genesis of the project and how he came to meet Eisner. He also shares several of his most memorable moments working with the legend, as well as some of the challenges in writing the...
Mar 04, 2016•1 hr 31 min
On this interview episode, Gwen and Derek are pleased to have as their guest Sonny Liew, whose latest work, The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye , was just released from Pantheon Books. They talk with the author about his mock biography and how it engages with comic-book history, the tumultuous politics of Singapore, and his own creative influences. Sonny also discusses the genesis of the project and his strategic use of distinctive art styles reminiscent of Osama Tezuka , Walt Kelly , Harvey Kurtz...
Mar 03, 2016•1 hr 6 min
It’s time, once again, to take a look at the current month’s Previews catalog. This time around, Derek is joined by Paul Lai, the editor of The Comics Alternative ‘s blog. Although he’s been working with the Two Guys since late last year, this is the first time that Paul has cohosted a podcast episode. And his first time out is a doozie! He and Derek take an extra-long, two-and-a-half-hour stroll through the March Previews solicits, highlighting upcoming releases from publishers such as Dark Hor...
Mar 02, 2016•2 hr 33 min
On the February manga show, Shea and Derek look at a new title and an older title. They begin with a discussion of School Judgment 1 , recently released by VIZ Media. Written by Nobuaki Enoki and with art by Takeshi Obata -- perhaps best known for his work on Death Note -- this is the first book in a series that has a unique premise. In fact, the guys comment several times on the wacky setup of School Judgment : a legal arbitration system established in Japan's elementary schools, where the stud...
Mar 01, 2016•1 hr 38 min
On this week's review episode, Andy and Derek delve into two new and exciting titles. They start with Ludovic Debeurme's Renée (Top Shelf Productions), the followup to his 2011 release, Lucille . In fact, the guys begin their discussion by describing the earlier book and setting the stage for what they see in the recent narrative. Renée picks up on the story of Debeurme's young protagonists, Lucille and Arthur, and weaves within a third character, Renée Bruissiez, another troubled figure struggl...
Feb 24, 2016•1 hr 18 min
This week on The Comics Alternative Gene and Derek focus on the funny, the poignant, and the creepy. They begin with Evan Dorkin's The Eltingville Club (Dark Horse Books), a nice hardbound edition that collects all of the Eltingville Club stories published over the past twenty years. This is Dorkin's twisted, and at times acerbic, love letter to geek and collecting culture. Bill, Josh, Pete, and Jerry make up the Eltingville Comic Book, Science-Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, and Role-Playing Club, an...
Feb 17, 2016•1 hr 18 min
For the February webcomics show, Sean and Derek explore three very different titles. They begin with Christopher Mills and Joe Staton's Femme Noir , a unique twist on the crime noir genre. This is series of tales surrounding a mysterious, unnamed crime-fighting PI who dons an iconic trench coat and fedora, but whose long golden locks and fishnet hose give her away as something wholly other. The guys describe this comic as a blend of Batman , The Shadow , and The Spirit , but with a female protag...
Feb 15, 2016•1 hr 56 min
It's Wednesday, which means that the Doctoral Duo return to share their recommendations of recent releases! And this week, Gwen and Derek focus on three exciting, yet quite diverse, new titles. They begin with Nick Dranso's Beverly (Drawn & Quarterly), a series of six stories set in a Midwest suburban landscape, where individuals grapple with friendships, alienation, and the uncertainties of growing up. Gwen notes the dark poignancy of these narratives, character studies that often make the ...
Feb 10, 2016•1 hr 18 min
