This week Andy and Derek return with another special Publisher Spotlight episode, this one devoted to Vertigo. Although the Two Guys with PhDs demonstrate superhuman abilities when tackling a variety of titles, it’s obvious that they cannot cover all of Vertigo’s history and output. Instead, they have decided to focus on the most recent wave of comics coming out from the imprint. This includes the many titles that have been released since the summer and in the wake of Karen Berger’s departure. D...
Nov 13, 2013•1 hr 56 min
On this Comics Alternative interview show, Gene and Derek talk with Jeremy Whitley, the writer of the Eisner Award-nominated Princeless series and the outgoing Director of Marketing at Action Lab Comics. Jeremy talks with the Two Guys about the genesis of Princeless, his upcoming work on My Little Pony for IDW, the place of all-age comics, and the representation of women — especially in its impact on girls and younger women — in comics today. He also shares his experiences in marketing for Actio...
Nov 12, 2013•1 hr 32 min
It’s the first of the month, so it’s time for the Two Guys with PhDs to look through the latest Previews catalog. Plus, Andy’s back on the podcast, so there’s a lot for him and Derek to catch up on. After Andy re-acclimates to the world of podcastdom, the guys plunge into the November solicits. They discuss upcoming titles such as Bad Blood #1, Serenity: Firefly Class 03-K64 – Leaves on the Wind #1, and Gasoline Alley, Vol. 1: The Complete Sundays 1920-1922 (Dark Horse); Showcase Presents: Men o...
Nov 06, 2013•1 hr 45 min
For the first in this new feature, the Two Guys with PhDs are proud to have as a guest comics legend Kim Deitch. His new book, The Amazing, Enlightening and Absolutely True Adventures of Katherine Whaley, was just published by Fantagraphics, and Tof and Derek begin their conversation by asking him about the genesis of the project. Kim reveals the history of Katherine Whaley, its links to “The Sunshine Girl” (in Deitch’s Pictorama) and The Search for Smilin’ Ed (both by Fantagraphics), and his fa...
Nov 04, 2013•1 hr 10 min
The Two Guys with PhDs Talking about Comics return with their 2013 Halloween Special! In this episode, Gene and Derek discuss a variety of this year’s Halloween special issues, very recent horror titles, and series annuals themed to the season. (We know, we know…Halloween Classics: Graphic Classics, Vol. 23 came out in 2012, but we weren’t able to discuss this book last year, so we wanted to be sure we did so this time around.) They cover a lot of ground, highlighting as many new Halloween title...
Oct 31, 2013•1 hr 35 min
This week the Two Guys with PhDs review Seth’s Palookaville #21 (Drawn and Quarterly) and The Fox #1, by Dean Haspiel and Mark Waid (Red Circle Comics). They begin by providing a primer on Palookaville and the 16-year run (so far) of the serialized Clyde Fans. They spend a good amount of time talking about the latest installment of Clyde Fans, part four, and then move on to the two overtly autobiographical sections of this issue of Palookaville: “Rubber Stamp Diary” and “Nothing Lasts, Part One....
Oct 30, 2013•1 hr 36 min
To celebrate this year’s Halloween ComicFest, the Two Guys with PhDs (talking about comics) paid another visit to Collected Comics in Plano, your one-stop-shop for everything thrilling and chilling! Gene and Derek were joined by Collected’s co-owner Brent Irwin, comics artist and friend of the show, Andy Hirsch, and Andy’s “Bob’s Burgers” companion, Natalie Khan. It was truly a ghoulish experience, made more so by the mayhem surrounding everyone during the podcast recording. Amongst crowds of cu...
Oct 28, 2013•1 hr 25 min
This week Gene and Derek review two new books (both translations from the French) and the first issue of a new series. They begin with David Prudhomme’s Rebetiko (SelfMadeHero), a narrative centered around a day in the lives of five rebetes, musicians who were a part of the Greek folk music subculture in the 1920s and 1930s. The characters are outcasts, living on the fringe because of their love of rebetiko — often called “Greek blues” — and treated as immoral influences. Prudhomme uses the musi...
Oct 23, 2013•1 hr 38 min
It’s time once again for our monthly on-location show at Collected Comics in Plano, TX. This month the discussion theme is horror comics, a perfect topic for the Halloween season. On this show, Derek is joined once again by Shea Hennum as well as the shop’s assistant manager, Freddy Rick, the resident expert on all things horror. (Another store employee, Sabrina, even makes a brief vocal appearance on the podcast, sharing her uncanny love of vikings and cheese.) Among the many horror titles they...
Oct 18, 2013•1 hr 31 min
This week on The Comics Alternative podcast, Derek and Gene review Paul Pope’s Battling Boy (First Second), Geof Darrow’s Shaolin Cowboy #1 (Dark Horse), and Brandon Montclare and Amy Reeder’s Rocket Girl #1 (Image). The Two Guys with PhDs begin with Battling Boy, placing it within the larger context of Paul Pope’s body of work — seeing similar themes, stylistic flair, characterization, and tone found in comics such as 100%, Heavy Liquid, and THB – and also reading it in light of other First Sec...
Oct 16, 2013•1 hr 36 min
This week on The Comics Alternative, Gene Kannenberg, Jr. joins Derek to talk about the many great finds in the October Previews. They begin by looking at some of the offerings coming up soon for Halloween ComicFest 2013, then they get into the nitty gritty of this month’s catalog. Among the many titles they highlight are 47 Ronin and Breath of Bones (Dark Horse), Dead Boy Detectives #1 and The Invisibles Deluxe Edition, Book One (DC/Vertigo), Richard Stark’s Parker: Slayground and The Illegitim...
Oct 09, 2013•2 hr 1 min
Another Dallas Comic Con was held this past weekend, October 4-6, at the Irving Convention Center. Derek was there looking through comics, taking in the sights, and talking with a variety of creators and publishers. He recorded his conversations, and you’ll find the fruits of his labor in this new episode. This con was filled wtih celebrities, cosplayers, and comics sellers, but Derek headed straight for the people who are actually the heart and soul of the event: the writers, artists, and publi...
Oct 07, 2013•1 hr 35 min
This week on The Comics Alternative, Tof once again joins Derek to talk about comics, and this time they’re reviewing new books by David B. – Black Paths (SelfMadeHero) and Incidents in the Night, Book 1 (Uncivilized Books) — and issue #1 of God Is Dead by Jonathan Hickman, Mike Costa, and Di Amorim (Avatar). The Two Guys with PhDs begin by discussing David B.’s surreal and idiosyncratic style, and how that style manifests itself in his two most recent books. First they look at Black Paths and h...
Oct 02, 2013•1 hr 59 min
This week on The Comics Alternative, the Two Guys with PhDs feature another “Creator Spotlight” episode, this one focused on the works of Dash Shaw. Tof Eklund joins Derek in discussing and defining a truly unique presence in comics, an artist whose work has been evolving over the past decade. They begin by looking at Shaw’s most recent works, the comic book 3 Stories and the brand new graphic novel, New School (both from Fantagraphics). Tof and Derek note the distinctive visual style of these b...
Sep 26, 2013•1 hr 58 min
It’s time again for the Two Guys with PhDs to head back to Lone Star Comics in Plano, TX, for their monthly on-location show. However, this month it is not Lone Star Comics they are visiting, but Collected Comics. That’s right, Collected bought out the Plano store, so although the Two Guys are at the same physical location, they are now doing their show from a different store. This time around, Derek is joined by one of the co-owners of Collected, Brent Erwin, along with Rick Cromack (the store’...
Sep 20, 2013•1 hr 42 min
This week on The Comics Alternative podcast, Derek is joined by Lan Dong, and the two of them discuss Gene Luen Yang’s new two-volume set, Boxers and Saints (First Second), as well as Adrian Tomine’s Optic Nerve #13 (Drawn and Quarterly). The Two (Guys?) with PhDs begin by briefly discussing the book that Yang is most known for, American Born Chinese, and then they segue into the new works and how Boxers and Saints differ in terms of theme, scope, and narrative approach. They point out the histo...
Sep 18, 2013•1 hr 43 min
It’s that time again to flip through the pages of the Previews catalog, and this week Derek is joined by Bob Bretall of ComicSpectrum to discuss the offerings in the September Previews (Andy couldn’t make it for this episode). Among the many titles they highlight are Clown Fatale, S.H.O.O.T. First, EC Archives: The Vault of Horrors Vol. 3 (Dark Horse), The Planetary Omnibus, Creature Commandos, The Sandman: Overture Special Edition, DMZ Deluxe Edition Book One, FBP: Federal Beureau of Physics (D...
Sep 11, 2013•1 hr 40 min
This week on The Comics Alternative the Two Guys with PhDs discuss Rocketeer comics. In fact, it’s an all-Rocketeer episode, from the Dave Stevens material to the most recent manifestation with The Spirit. So come put on your jodhpurs, strap on your jet pack, and get ready to take off as Andy and Derek try their best to cover the full range of Rocketeer titles – a formidable task, indeed – beginning at the beginning with Dave Steven’s groundbreaking Rocketeer stories, the mulit-creator collectio...
Sep 04, 2013•1 hr 22 min
The Two Guys with PhDs are back at Lone Star Comics in Plano, and this month they are talking about all-age comics. Joining them is Lone Star employee Shea Hennum and special guest Andy Hirsch, artist of such comics as Garfield, Peanuts, Regular Show, The Royal Historian of Oz, and an upcoming issue of Adventure Time. The conversation is engaging, and the camaraderie is more dynamic than humanly possible. Come listen to the fun as everyone discusses the philosophy of all-age comics, the definiti...
Aug 20, 2013•1 hr 15 min
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 Co...
Aug 07, 2013•2 hr 24 min
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 man...
Jul 31, 2013•2 hr 7 min
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 ...
Jul 24, 2013•1 hr 49 min
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 ...
Jul 17, 2013•1 hr 39 min
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 Th...
Jul 10, 2013•1 hr 40 min
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 Unc...
Jul 05, 2013•1 hr 18 min
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 p...
Jul 03, 2013•1 hr 34 min
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 unfamilia...
Jun 26, 2013•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 43
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...
Jun 19, 2013•1 hr 40 min•Ep. 42
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 ...
Jun 13, 2013•1 hr 51 min
This week on The Comics Alternative Andy and Derek present another roundtable discussion, this one devoted to the mainstream and indie comics divide. They are joined by fellow podcasters John Mayo, from the Comic Book Page podcast, and Chris Marshall, from Collected Comics Library. On this roundtable, the four guys begin by defining their terms and asking some basic questions — such as What are mainstream comics?, What defines an alternative or indie title?, How does one inform the other?, and W...
Jun 12, 2013•1 hr 52 min•Ep. 41
