Time Codes: 00:00:31 - Introduction 00:02:53 - Black Panther info 00:06:51 - Our new Discord account 00:09:15 - More listener mail! 00:16:37 - The Lie and How We Told It 00:48:02 - Abbott #1 01:08:28 - Punks Not Dead #1 01:21:32 - Wrap up 01:22:37 - Contact us This week Gene and Derek discuss three fascinating titles...and with a '70s twist! They begin with Tommi Parrish's The Lie and How We Told It (Fantagraphics). Both had encountered Parrish's work previously in the first two issues of the No...
Feb 21, 2018•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 269
Time Codes: 00:00:28 - Introduction 00:03:56 - Setup of the discussion 00:05:44 - The Prince and the Dressmaker 00:30:55 - Speak: The Graphic Novel 01:00:39 - Wrap up 01:03:07 - Contact us Art and Perceptions Gwen and Paul are back with another Young Readers episode. For February, they discuss two recent publications, both that explore how perceptions, for better or for worse, figure into our lives. They begin with Jen Wang's The Prince and the Dressmaker (First Second), a fairy tale-like narrat...
Feb 20, 2018•1 hr 6 min
On this weekend's Kickstarter episode, Derek talks with Max Huffman about his current campaign for Plaguers Int'l . As described on the Kickstarter page, Plaguers Int'l is a loud, fast comic-shaped comic, with elements of all three genres: madcap romp, slapdash genre pastiche and relationship disaster. A panel or two might be unsafe for work. And its plot? Swirving Wildley is the newest member of the world's most beloved extranational paramilitary death squad. Movement Salon is the leader of a w...
Feb 17, 2018•18 min
Time Codes: 00:00:29 - Introduction 00:02:48 - Derek goes solo! 00:07:35 - Alack Sinner: The Age of Innocence 00:23:33 - Calamity Jane: The Calamitous Life of Martha Jane Cannary, 1852-1903 00:35:23 - Jerome K. Jerome Bloch, Vol. 1: The Shadow Killer 00:41:10 - Corto Maltese: Fable of Venice 00:46:25 - A Story of Men 00:56:48 - The Man from the Great North 01:02:43 - Wrap up 01:04:34 - Contact us Welcome to the January episode of The Comics Alternative 's monthly Euro Comics series. That's right...
Feb 16, 2018•1 hr 8 min
Time Codes: 00:00:30 - Introduction 00:003:11 - Listener mail! 00:07:41 - Twisted Romance #1 and #2 00:32:46 - Death of Love #1 00:50:03 - Bingo Love 00:00:00 - Weird Love, Vol. 6: So This Is Love! 00:00:00 - Young Monsters in Love 01:14:34 - Wrap up 01:15:39 - Contact us It's Valentine's Day, and this week the Two Guys with PhDs are doing something they've never done before: devote an entire episode to recent romance comics. And this year, there are quite a number of new comics devoted to love ...
Feb 14, 2018•1 hr 55 min•Ep. 268
Time Codes: 00:00:26 - Introduction 00:02:30 - Setup of interview 00:04:05 - Interview with Bill Kartalopoulos and Ben Katchor 01:36:02 - Wrap up 01:37:10 - Contact us Derek talks with Bill Kartalopoulos and Ben Katchor about the 2017 volume of The Best American Comics (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt). They are, respectively, the general editor of the series and last year's guest editor. Paul and Derek had wanted to interview the two back in December, but due to life complications, they weren't able ...
Feb 13, 2018•1 hr 40 min
Time Codes: 00:00:28 - Introduction 00:03:29 - Weather talk 00:05:40 - The Flying Ship 00:33:55 - Next Town Over 01:05:43 - Yu+Me: Dream 01:35:46 - Wrap up 01:37:12 - Contact us For February, Sean and Derek discuss three very different webcomics, each published by a single young female creator. They begin with two currently ongoing titles, Jess Milton's The Flying Ship and Erin Mehlos's Next Town Over . The first is webcomic inspired by a Russian fairytale, and despite its relatively short run s...
Feb 12, 2018•1 hr 40 min
This week Derek talks with Edward Gomez and Laura Sorvala about their Kickstarter campaign Ada's Adventures in Science . This project began as a three-comic-book series, starting with the idea, “There’s no such thing as a stupid question.” The ultimate goal of this Kickstarter is not only to excite children about science, but to empower them to pursue it. Edward and Laura's protagonist Ada is a believable, relatable character pursuing her interests in science. She functions as both as a role mod...
Feb 10, 2018•18 min
Gwen and Derek are back with another Previews episode. And since February is Super Bowl time, in the super spirit of that super day they present a super long show. That's right, there were so many titles that the two wanted to highlight this month, that this episode inadvertently turned into (we think) the longest Previews show ever recorded on The Comics Alternative . History in the making, or an annoyingly long experience? You decide. Among the many comic books and graphic novels that Gwen and...
Feb 07, 2018•2 hr 42 min•Ep. 267
Time Codes: 00:00:43 - Introduction 00:03:01 - Setup of interview 00:05:06 - Interview with Box Brown 01:05:35 - Wrap up 01:06:48 - Contact us Box Brown returns to The Comics Alternative , this time discussing his new book Is This Guy for Real?: The Unbelievable Andy Kaufman , just out this week from First Second. Similar to his previous Andre the Giant , this is a graphic biography of a colorful celebrity with a complicated life story...and involving wrestling. Box talks with Derek about his id...
Feb 06, 2018•1 hr 11 min
Derek talks with Dave Calver about his new book Limbo Lounge . This is his first graphic novel, and it's a first for IDW Publishing, a joint effort between two of its imprints, Yoe Books and Top Shelf Productions. Over the course of their conversation, the two discuss the origins of this project, the author's effective use of coloring as a narrative tool, the surreal and tonally ambiguous nature of the work, how Dave's background as an illustrator informed his storytelling, and where his efforts...
Feb 05, 2018•1 hr 5 min
On this Kickstarter episode, Derek talks with J.T. Yost about his current crowdfunding campaign for Birdcage Bottom Books' 2018 publications . This year, Birdcage Bottom Books is hoping to introduce to a wider audience a variety of cartoonists currently flying under many readers' radar. By pre-ordering through this Kickstarter campaign, you'll both ensure these publications see the light of day and save money. As J.T. points out, this is also your chance to get custom artwork, original comics pa...
Feb 03, 2018•21 min
Time Codes: 00:00:25 - Introduction 00:02:34 - Setup of interview 00:03:59 - Interview with Clifford V. Johnson 01:28:40 - Wrap up 01:29:23 - Contact us On this interview episode Derek has as his guest Clifford V. Johnson. He is a professor of physics at the University of Southern California, and his new book The Dialogues: Conversations about the Nature of the Universe was released last fall by the MIT Press. Clifford talks with Derek about the genesis of this project, his choice of the dialogu...
Feb 02, 2018•1 hr 32 min
Time Codes: 00:00:30 - Introduction 00:003:11 - We get significant listener responses! 00:07:41 - Red Winter 00:32:46 - Motherlands #1 00:50:03 - The Archies #4 01:14:34 - Wrap up 01:15:39 - Contact us This week Gene and Derek discuss, yet again, three diverse titles. They begin with Anneli Furmark's Red Winter (Drawn and Quarterly). It's the the first in a trilogy of graphic novels, although this is Furmark's first work translated into English. The narrative is set in the late 1970s and centers...
Jan 31, 2018•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 266
Time Codes: 00:00:30 - Introduction 00:02:52 - Listener mail! 00:08:31 - Drawn and Quarterly's Kitaro series 01:00:00 - Mangasia: The Definitive Guide to Asian Comics 01:22:54 - Wrap up 01:24:24 - Contact us On the January manga episode, Shea and Derek discuss the first five volumes in Drawn and Quarterly's Kitaro series, created by Shigeru Mizuki. This includes The Birth of Kitaro , Kitaro Meets Nurarihyon , Kitaro and the Great Tanuki War , Kitaro's Strange Adventures , and the most recent Kit...
Jan 31, 2018•1 hr 28 min
This week Derek talks with Steve Conley about his Kickstarter campaign The Middle Age , based on his Eisner Award-nominated webcomic and offering both enamel pins and print versions of his comic. Sean and Derek discussed The Middle Age on their webcomics series last year. It's an old-school and fun kind of adventure comic, a fantasy featuring a slightly older knight, Sir Quimp, who lost his love, his sword, and his job. And he is on a quest to win them all back, and "aiding" Sir Quimp on his que...
Jan 27, 2018•20 min
Time Codes: 00:00:24 - Introduction 00:03:01 - Setup of interview 00:04:46 - Interview with Karen Berger 01:15:04 - Wrap up 01:17:14 - Contact us Paul and Derek are excited to have Karen Berger on The Comics Alternative . The first release from her new Dark Horse Comics imprint, Berger Books, occurs next week, and the guys talk with Karen on the cusp of this event. The Two Guys ask their guest about the genesis of Berger Books as well as her efforts in launching new titles -- such as Hungry Ghos...
Jan 25, 2018•1 hr 20 min
Time Codes: 00:32 - Introduction 003:07 - Gene's flu...part deux 05:15 - The Three Rooms in Valerie's Head 26:34 - Days of Hate #1 40:42 - Vinegar Teeth #1 57:46 - Wrap up 58:45 - Contact us On this week's review episode, Gene and Derek discuss recent titles that are quite varied in tone and narrative approach. They begin with David Gaffney and Dan Berry's The Three Rooms in Valerie's Head (Top Shelf/IDW Publishing). This is a somewhat surreal, and dark, look at a young woman and her various rel...
Jan 24, 2018•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 265
Time Codes: 00:00:27 - Introduction 00:03:14 - Contexts and caveats 00:11:32 - Our favorite comics of 2017 02:09:06 - Wrapping up our favorites, and honorable mentions 02:13:52 - Contact us Paul and Derek are back with The Comics Alternative 's annual "Favorites" episode. This is where the Two Guys share what they consider to be the best comics of the past year. Usually this year-end show is released as the very last regular review episode of each year, but this time around the guys had to postp...
Jan 22, 2018•2 hr 17 min•Ep. 264
This week on the Kickstarter series, Derek talks with Mike Emeritz and Marshall Couture about their current campaign, Life in Space: A Comic Book Anthology . Over the course of their conversation, Mike and Marshall reveal the genesis of this project, how they gathered a variety of creators together, and the process of decided on a particular anthology theme. This project is coordinated by Mike Emeritz, Marshall Lee, and Chris McQuinlan, with Emeritz designing and editing the book. Kevin Cross pr...
Jan 20, 2018•18 min
For years The Comics Alternative has held a monthly on-location episode where one or two cohosts go into -- physically or virtually -- one of their local comics shops and talk with customers and employees about the comics that their reading, what they're excited about and looking forward to, and what grumblings they may have in terms of comics culture. The last such episode was published last August, right before Derek moved to Charlotte, NC...and as things would turn out, in the final days of V...
Jan 19, 2018•57 min
Time Codes: 00:00:24 - Introduction 00:03:27 - Setup of interview 00:06:00 - Interview with Seth 01:51:43 - Wrap up 01:52:32 - Contact us The Man from Guelph On this interview episode, Derek is pleased to have as his guest one of his favorite creators, Seth. His latest volume of Palookaville was published last year by Drawn and Quarterly, and while every release of Seth's signature series is worth noting, this one is particularly significant. It wraps up his "Clyde Fans" storyline, one he began ...
Jan 18, 2018•1 hr 56 min
Time Codes: 00:00:32 - Introduction 00:03:00 - Catching up with flu-ridden Gene 00:04:21 - Now #2 00:44:07 - The Strumpet #5 01:11:49 - Barbarella #1 & #2 01:26:56 - Wrap up 01:27:55 - Contact us This week Gene and Derek discuss three recent titles, two of which are anthologies and one a blast from the past. They begin with the second issue of Fantagraphics' Now , edited by Eric Reynolds. As the guys mention, this one is comprised of various comics that run the gamut of art and narrative sty...
Jan 17, 2018•1 hr 32 min•Ep. 263
Time Codes: 00:27 - Introduction 02:43 - Setup of interview 04:32 - Interview with W. Maxwell Prince and Martín Morazzo 59:10 - Wrap up 59:50 - Contact us On this episode of the interview series, Derek talks with W. Maxwell Prince and Martín Morazzo about their new series from Image Comics, Ice Cream Man . The first issue comes out on January 17, and Derek asks his guests about the genesis of this project and what to expect in its debut. As Will and Martín reveal, each issue of Ice Cream Man is ...
Jan 16, 2018•1 hr 3 min
Time Codes: 00:00:28 - Introduction 00:02:26 - Better late than never 00:05:42 - The Best American Comics 2017 01:30:43 - Wrap up 01:32:15 - Contact us On this episode of the podcast Paul and Derek discuss The Best American Comics 2017 , edited by Ben Katchor along with series editor Bill Kartalopoulos. The Two Guys usually discuss Houghton Mifflin Harcourt's annual contribution to comicsdom in the penultimate episode of every year, but this time around life got in the way -- and Paul, everyone'...
Jan 15, 2018•1 hr 35 min•Ep. 262
For this week's Kickstarter episode, Derek talks with Ari S. Mulch about her project Loan from the Girl Zone . This a collection of the various minicomics that Ari has published over the past couple of years while studying in the comics program of the Minneapolis College of Art and Design . She talks with Derek about the various short works collected in this volume, the project's genesis, and the various reward levels for backing her campaign. But Ari also discusses the long-form comic that she ...
Jan 13, 2018•18 min
Time Codes: 00:00:33 - Introduction 00:03:04 - Baby, it's cold outside 00:05:38 - Generation Gone, Vol. 1 00:37:45 - Assassinistas #1 00:55:04 - Love and Rockets IV #4 01:20:02 - Wrap up 01:21:16 - Contact us This week Gwen and Derek take a look at three recent and exciting titles. They begin with the first trade collection of Aleš Kot and André Lima Araújo's Generation Gone (Image Comics). This initial volume establishes the premise of the intriguing series. The story focuses on three hackers w...
Jan 10, 2018•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 261
Time Codes: 00:00:27 - Introduction 00:03:05 - A new year in webcomics! 00:06:36 - The Shaderunners 00:38:16 - Binary Star 01:01:30 - Nautilus 01:24:50 - Wrap up 01:26:12 - Contact us For their first webcomics episode of 2018, Sean and Derek discuss three fascinating and diverse titles. They begin with The Shaderunners , written by Lin with art by Capp (AKA Anna Assan). This Prohibition era-tinged webcomic concerns a group of rag-tag bohemians who attempt to bring color into their sepia-toned wo...
Jan 08, 2018•1 hr 30 min
Happy New Year from The Comics Alternative ! To help bring in 2018, Gwen and Derek are back to meticulously go through the January Previews catalog, providing recommendations and insights on a variety of upcoming titles. This month's catalog is jam-packed with great solicits, so many, in fact, that this becomes an extra-long episode. They begin by looking at the various offerings announced for this year's Free Comic Book Day, and then they move on to the catalog proper. Among the many comic book...
Jan 03, 2018•2 hr 4 min•Ep. 260
Time Codes: 00:00:29 - Introduction 00:02:35 - Some context, and thanks! 00:05:19 - Battle Angel Alita: Deluxe Edition, Vol. 1 00:50:09 - Children of the Whales, Vol. 1 01:26:06 - Wrap up 01:27:21 - Contact us On this episode of The Comics Alternative 's manga series, Shea and Derek discuss two recent publications that, in one way or another, explore a post-apocalyptic world. They begin with a classic, the first volume of Yukito Kishiro's Battle Angel Alita . Kodansha Comics has recently started...
Jan 02, 2018•1 hr 31 min
