The Two Guys with PhDs are back at Lone Star Comics in Plano, TX, and this time they are talking science fiction with the store manager, Rick Cromack, and his trusty sidekick, Shea Hennum. This is the first of a two-episode look at sci-fi comics with the guys at Lone Star (the second will come at the end of the summer). In this first show they kick off the summer movie season by discussing some of the recent movie releases — such as Iron Man 3, Star Trek: Into Darkness, and Man of Steel — and ho...
Jun 06, 2013•1 hr 30 min
This week on the podcast Andy and Derek flip through the pages of the June Previews catalog, and there they find a whole slew of great upcoming titles. In fact, this month they find solicits on an exciting lineup of new alternative and indie books, including Adrian Tomine’s Optic Nerve and Seth’s Palookaville (both from Drawn and Quarterly), the Hernandez brothers’ Love and Rockets: New Stories No. 6 (Fantagraphics), John Lewis and Andrew Aydin’s March, Book 1 (Top Shelf), Zak Sally’s Sammy the ...
Jun 05, 2013•1 hr 41 min•Ep. 40
This week on The Comics Alternative podcast Andy and Derek invite the creators of the new digital comic, Subatomic Party Girls (Monkeybrain Comics), into their virtual studio for an interview. Chris Sims, Chad Bowers, and Erica Henderson share with the Two Guys with PhDs (Talking about Comics) the origins of their new series; the unusual character lineup; their unique mashup of absurd humor, rock history, and sci-fi madness; and their working relationship, in all of its dysfunctional fun-filled ...
May 29, 2013•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 39
This past Saturday, Derek attended the Dallas Comic Con, which was held at the Irving Convention Center, and ran from May 17-19. There, he spoke with a variety of creators and publishers, asking them about their comics and encouraging them to share with The Comics Alternative listeners their various projects, both recent and future. This was a heavily celebrity-ladened con — William Shatner and Brent Spiner were there, Nathan Fillion was supposed to be there (but didn’t make it), and Derek’s dau...
May 23, 2013•1 hr 4 min
This week Andy and Derek review two recent graphic novels, James Vance and Dan E. Burr’s On the Ropes and Matt Kindt’s Red Handed: The Fine Art of Strange Crimes. As the Two Guys with PhDs make abundantly clear, both of these are incredible original works that are sure to end up on the guys’ year-end top ten lists. First, Andy and Derek discuss On the Ropes, a follow up to Vance and Burr’s original 1988-1989 miniseries, Kings in Disguise (Kitchen Sink Press, and latter published as a graphic nov...
May 22, 2013•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 38
In this week’s episode of The Comics Alternative, Andy and Derek interview acclaimed artist Rick Geary. His new book, A Treasury of Victorian Murder Compendium, Vol. 1, was recently released by NBM Publishing. In it, you’ll find some of Rick’s Victorian murder classics, such as The Crimes of Dr. E.W. Prithard, The Fatal Bullet, The Beast of Chicago, and of course Jack the Ripper. The Two Guys with PhDs talk with Rick about his line of murder story comics — Victorian era as well as 20th-century —...
May 15, 2013•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 37
This past Saturday, Free Comic Book Day, Lone Star Comics in Plano, TX, sponsored a panel discussion on the current state of American comics. He invited a variety of individuals from different backgrounds and with different perspectives, but all participating in the field of comics in some form or another. The Two Guys with PhDs Talking about Comics were invited to take part in this event. Unfortunately, Andy couldn’t make it, but Derek was able to be there and provide his two or three cents. Jo...
May 09, 2013•1 hr 8 min
Despite its nefarious subtitle, this week’s episode of The Comics Alternative is all-age friendly! In it you’ll hear Andy and Derek discuss the shapely offerings in the May Previews catalog. They highlight the various sexy solicits from Dark Horse (Smoke/Ashes, The Best of Milligan and McCarthy, Sin Titulo, and Gamma), curvaceous tomes from DC/Vertigo (Batman ’66, Collider, Tom Strong and the Planet of Peril, and The Unwritten: Tommy Taylor and the Ship That Sank Twice), come-hither titles from ...
May 08, 2013•1 hr 38 min•Ep. 36
Free Comic Book Day was Saturday, May 4th, and the Two Guys with PhDs Talking about Comics were at Lone Star Comics in Plano, TX. They spoke with staff and customers about what FCBD titles people were getting, which ones were going quickly, what was in some of their FCBD issues, and how publishers were making the best of this annual event. Along the way they talked with a variety of folks, including aspiring comics writer Nick Bridwell, Jess from Rainbow Runners, Chris Danger from SCNS:Live (als...
May 05, 2013•1 hr 50 min
This week Andy and Derek review three new #1 comics: the Vertigo anthology Time Warp, Brian K. Vaughan and Marcos Martin’s The Private Eye (Panel Syndicate), and Jonathan Hickman and Nick Dragotta’s East of West (Image Comics). They have their hands full with Time Warp, given the variety of quality creators and engaging narratives contained in this plus-sized issue, but they still find the time to look at two recent examples at genre bending. Vaughn and Martin’s The Private Eye is a futuristic d...
May 01, 2013•2 hr 13 min•Ep. 35
This week on The Comics Alternative Andy and Derek interview Jamal Igle about his new project, Molly Danger. This is just in time for next week’s Free Comic Book Day, when Action Lab will include a preview of the first story arc in one of their FCBD issues. In their conversation, the Two Guys with PhDs talk with Jamal about the genesis of Molly Danger, the need for more all-ages hero comics, the importance of strong and positive female role models in the medium, and the runaway success of the bo...
Apr 24, 2013•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 34
This week on the podcast, Andy and Derek review two recent projects from the archival powerhouse that is Craig Yoe, Comics about Cartoonists: Stories about the World’s Oddest Profession, and the recent comic-book series Haunted Horror (both published through IDW Publishing). The first is a collection of strips and stories from around the turn of the century until the 1950s, drawn by a who’s who in the comics pantheon, and all taking on comics creators themselves as the subject matter. It’s a gre...
Apr 17, 2013•1 hr 41 min•Ep. 33
This week on The Comics Alternative podcast, Andy and Derek review the first collected trade of Brian Wood, Kristian Donaldson, and Gary Brown’s The Massive (Dark Horse Comics) as well as issue #1 of Five Ghosts: The Haunting of Fabian Gray, by Frank J. Barbiere and Chris Mooneyham (Image Comics). The Two Guys with PhDs (who talk about comics) bring their critical acumen to the functions of narrative time in The Massive, the significance of its character makeup, and the book’s thematic place wit...
Apr 10, 2013•1 hr 34 min•Ep. 32
This week Andy and Derek flip through the April Previews catalog, highlighting the various comic books, collections, and original graphic novels solicited this month. They point out a variety of upcoming titles such as Dark Horse’s The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys and Battlepug, DC/Vertigo’s 100 Bullets: Brother Lono and The Sandman Omnibus Volume 1, IDW’s Edison Rex, Image Comic’s Lazarus and Infinite Vacation, Archaia’s Rubicon, Boom! Studio’s Six-Gun Gorilla, Dynamite’s Uncanny, and ne...
Apr 03, 2013•1 hr 41 min•Ep. 31
The Two Guys with PhDs Talking about Comics make another visit to Lone Star Comics in Plano, Texas. There they talk with the location’s scheduling manager, Shea Hennum, about general comics news. The conversation is free-flowing and engaging, with topics including the recent “banning” of Persepolis for seventh graders in Chicago, Superman‘s Orson Scott Card problem, indy creators and all-age comics, mature titles on Lone Star Comics’ shelves, the impact of The Walking Dead television show and ot...
Mar 29, 2013•1 hr 16 min
This week the Two Guys with PhDs Talking about Comics return with another one of their regular review shows, this one focusing on the new graphic biography from SelfMadeHero, Hellraisers, written by Robert Sellers and illustrated by JAKe, and Helheim #1 from the creative team of Cullen Bunn and Joëlle Jones, and published by Oni Press. Hollywood alcoholic celebrities and supernatural vikings…two tastes that go great together! They also follow up on their recent foray into John Constantine by cri...
Mar 27, 2013•1 hr 42 min•Ep. 30
his week the Two Guys with PhDs return with the second of their two-episode look at recent crime, detective, and noir comics. In this installment, they begin with a discussion of more conventional detective/crime comics and then turn their gaze to noir with a psychological twist, where the protagonist's mental condition creates confusion and uncertainty. Regarding the former, Derek and Andy look specifically at From the Files of...Mike Hammer: The Complete Dailies and Sundays, Greg Rucka and Mat...
Mar 20, 2013•1 hr 38 min•Ep. 29
This week, Derek and Andy talk with Ben Katchor, an award-winning cartoonist who has also worked in musical theater and is currently an associate professor of illustration at Parsons the New School of Design. His new book, Hand-Drying in America and Other Stories, came out last week from Pantheon Books. It's a phenomenal work collecting strips that were originally published in the architectural and design magazine, Metropolis, between 1998 to 2012. In their conversation with Ben, the Two Guys wi...
Mar 13, 2013•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 28
This week the Two Guys with (easy) PhDs take their monthly stroll through the pages of the new Previews catalog. They mention how jam-packed the March Previews is, filled with more promising comics than humans should be allowed. Among the many titles catching the guys’ (easy) PhD-trained minds are the new Mister X mini-series, Richard Corben’s adaptation of The Fall of the House of Usher, the 10th anniversary edition of Fagin the Jew, The Green Team, The Movement, The Wake, Promethea: The Immate...
Mar 07, 2013•1 hr 38 min•Ep. 27
This week the Two Guys with PhDs eulogize the recently ended Hellblazer series and the publication of its 300th issue. This is a sad occasion, since both Andy and Derek love Hellblazer, but at the same time both are generally pleased with how the series ended. In this episode the two guys spend a lot of time discussing the impact and the legacy of John Constantine, his place in both the Vertigo line and the DC Universe, the strengths and shortcomings of the newer, younger Constatine in Justice L...
Mar 01, 2013•1 hr 35 min•Ep. 26
This is the first of what will become a monthly supplement to our regular episodes of The Comics Alternative: an on-location recording at Lone Star Comics in Plano, Texas. On this inaugural outing, Derek discusses the final issue of Hellblazer with Lone Star Comics associate and all-around John Constantine expert, Shea Hennum. Over the course of their discussion, Shea and Derek — unfortunately, Andy is unable to join the talk — look back at the history of the title, its significance in the Verti...
Feb 27, 2013•1 hr 37 min
This week Andy and Derek begin what will be a two-episode look at recent crime, detective, and noir comics. In this first installment, they discuss two general kinds of of these comics: heist/caper and unconventional noir. With the former, the Two Guys with PhDs look specifically at Robert Kirkman, Nick Spencer, James Asmus, and Shawn Martinbrough’s Thief of Thieves; Gary Phillip and Marc Laming’s The Rinse; and Howard Chaykin’s Marked Man. Next, they turn their focus to several unconventional c...
Feb 20, 2013•1 hr 46 min•Ep. 25
This week Andy and Derek review issues 4 and 5 of the mini-comic So Buttons, the creation of writer Jonathan Baylis and a whole slew of artists. In their discussion the Two Guys with PhDs draw connections between Baylis’s work and that of other autobiographical comics writers, such as Harvey Pekar and Jeffrey Brown, and highlight some of the strategies that make So Buttons work. All of this eventually leads to comments on NPR, war films, and dead birds.
Feb 18, 2013•31 min•Ep. 24
Once again Andy and Derek delve into the pages of the latest Previews catalog, and there they find many wondrous things! This month they note upcoming new series such as X, Jupiter Legacy, Miniature Jesus, Polarity, as well as a number of original graphic novels and collected editions, including Bloodhound from Dark Horse, the Solo Deluxe Edition and Jack Kirby’s In the Days of the Mob from DC Comics, The Secret Service from Marvel, Strange Attractors from Archaia, The Property from Drawn and Qu...
Feb 06, 2013•1 hr 41 min•Ep. 23
On this episode Andy and Derek turn their critical sites on the work of Grant Morrison. Joining them in the discussion is Marc Singer, the author of Grant Morrison: Combining the Worlds of Contemporary Comics. Although much of the talk revolves around Morrison's non-superhero work - e.g., The Invisibles, The Filth, Seaguy, Flex Mentallo, We3, Sebastian O, The Mystery Play, and Happy! - Derek, Andy, and Marc bring into their discussion titles such as Arkham Asylum, Batman Gothic, Final Crisis, JL...
Jan 30, 2013•1 hr 43 min•Ep. 22
This week Andy and Derek take on the herculean (or sisyphean, take your pick of Greek reference) task of discussing Chris Ware’s Building Stories. And they do so, surprising, without pulling any important muscles! There is a lot to talk about concerning Building Stories, and the Two Guys with PhDs are only able to scratch the surface in this episode. But in their review, they nonetheless touch on a variety of important points and questions to consider. In fact, one of the conclusions reached is ...
Jan 23, 2013•1 hr 31 min•Ep. 21
With the spring semester beginning for most schools around the country, it’s only appropriate that The Two Guys with Ph.Ds Who Talk about Comics use this time to focus on comics pedagogy. On this week’s episode, Andy and Derek hold a roundtable discussion with Lan Dong and James Bucky Carter, two scholars who know a lot about teaching comics. Among other issues, the roundtable participants converse over what kind of works they teach, the challenges of teaching superhero narratives, the pros and ...
Jan 16, 2013•1 hr 57 min•Ep. 20
This week Andy and Derek sift through the January issue of Previews and highlight new titles that will soon be coming out from a wide variety of publishers. Some of the comics discussed include this year’s Free Comic Book Day offerings; Dark Horse’s B.P.R.D.: Vampire and Mister X: Hard Candy; the new Constantine and Time Warp from DC/Vertigo; IDW’s Doctor Who Classics; several new Image Comics offerings, including East of West, Five Ghosts: The Haunting of Fabian Gray, and Lost Vegas; All Crime ...
Jan 09, 2013•2 hr 3 min•Ep. 19
This week, Derek and Andy talk to Ming Doyle, the extraordinary artist behind the new Image mini-series, Mara. In this, the first Comics Alternative episode of 2013, Ming speaks with the Two Guys with PhDs (who talk about comics) about her work with Brian Wood, the joys of creating online comics, her nascent attempts at scripting stories, the evolution of her experience with high-tech writing tools, and what she got for Christmas. All in all, a great way to start the new year!
Jan 02, 2013•1 hr 28 min•Ep. 18
This week Andy and Derek conclude their two-part holiday and end-of-the-year series, this time sharing what they consider to be some of their favorite comics of the year. Each has narrowed down his list to 10 comics series, trades, collections, and graphic novels, and in many ways it was difficult to limit the number to just 10. As a result, the Two Guys are including in the show notes some of the Honorable Mentioned titles that could have also made it onto their best-of lists. Also in this week...
Dec 26, 2012•1 hr 57 min•Ep. 17
