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 discus...
Oct 07, 2014•1 hr 33 min
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, autho...
Oct 06, 2014•1 hr 7 min
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 ...
Oct 01, 2014•1 hr 31 min
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...
Sep 24, 2014•1 hr 39 min
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 Nove...
Sep 22, 2014•1 hr 37 min
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 autob...
Sep 19, 2014•1 hr 36 min
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 i...
Sep 17, 2014•1 hr 25 min
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, s...
Sep 15, 2014•1 hr 15 min
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...
Sep 12, 2014•1 hr 24 min
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, an...
Sep 10, 2014•1 hr 51 min
For this special episode of The Comics Alternative, Andy Wolverton heads to the Baltimore Comic Con where he interviews a variety of creators. There, he has the pleasure of talking with Michel Fiffe, Jamal Igle, Christina Blanch, David Petersen, and Ben Hatke. They all take the time to discuss with Andy their various comics, the processes behind their works, and their upcoming projects. They also bring up the Harvey Awards, whose winners were announced at the Baltimore con.
Sep 08, 2014•46 min
Derek and Andy are pleased to have as their latest guest Farel Dalrymple, the author of the new book from First Second, The Wrenchies. The guys talk with Farel about his ideas behind the project, its narrative density, Ferel's highly detailed art, the prevalence of insects and ooze, his cool way of drawing villains, and the book's large cast of characters. (And, thank god, no one mentions The Goonies anytime in the conversation.) Andy is particularly impressed by Sherwood (the protagonist) and h...
Sep 05, 2014•1 hr 30 min
It's a new month, so that means it's time for Derek and Andy to take a look at the new Previews catalog. September's holds a lot of solicits that the guys want to discuss, comics that they're looking forward to in the coming months. Some of the upcoming titles they highlight include Resurrectionists #1 and Vault of Horror Vol. 4 from Dark Horse; The Kitchen #1 and Howard Chaykin's Twilight from DC/Vertigo; Shadow Show #1 and Ditko's Shorts from IDW; and ODYC #1, Tooth and Claw #1, and Intersect ...
Sep 03, 2014•1 hr 31 min
On this episode of The Comics Alternative Interviews, Andy and Derek have Tim Seeley back on the podcast to talk about his new series from Dark Horse, Sundowners. He discusses the genesis of the title, the series' premise, and possible directions that the story may go. The guys also ask him about his work on Grayson (DC Comics) and the criticism -- and later the praise -- he underwent in taking on this iconic figure under a new guise. The conversation moves along from his new titles, to the curr...
Sep 02, 2014•1 hr 18 min
On this episode of The Comics Alternative Interviews, Derek is pleased to have as a guest Anya Ulinich, the author of the new graphic novel Lena Finkle’s Magic Barrel (Penguin Books). They begin by discussing Anya’s transition from writing more traditional prose fiction — her first novel, Petropolis, was released in 2007 — to comics narrative. Along the way Anya talks about her art background, the genesis behind the new book, and the challenges of writing within two different media formats. As s...
Aug 29, 2014•1 hr 13 min
Derek and Andy are really excited this week, because on the latest episode of The Comics Alternative they get to talk about three new and incredible titles. (They're also excited because they have their first Podcast Patrons...but more on that later.) First, they look at Ray Fawkes's new graphic novel The People Inside (Oni Press). This is an innovative work that utilizes the comics medium in ways you rarely see. Fawkes gives us twelve, arguably thirteen or even more, stories of couples whose re...
Aug 27, 2014•1 hr 29 min
On this episode of The Comics Alternative Interviews, Derek and Andy talk with Chris Duffy about his new edited collection, Above the Dreamless Dead: World War I in Poetry and Comics (First Second). This is a unique project, gathering a variety of poems surrounding the First World War — both canonical as well as more obscure — and translating them into comics form. The guys talk with Chris about the genesis of this project and his efforts to bring together an eclectic group of artists, including...
Aug 25, 2014•1 hr 32 min
On this episode of The Comics Alternative, Andy and Derek discuss three new titles. They begin by revisiting Jeff Lemire’s Trillium, the first few issues of which they reviewed on their Vertigo Publisher Spotlight show back in November. Now, the miniseries is collected in a single volume, and the guys compare the individual issues to the new trade edition. One of the first differences they note is the page arrangements of the trade. Whereas in many issues of the original miniseries Lemire visual...
Aug 20, 2014•1 hr 26 min
On this episode of The Comics Alternative Interviews, the Two Guys with PhDs talk with Derek McCulloch and Anthony Peruzzo, the team behind the new graphic novel from Image, Displaced Persons. This is McCulloch's second time on the podcast, and Andy and Derek waste no time in pointing out thematic links between the new book and many of McCulloch's other works, particularly Gone to Amerikay and Stagger Lee. The guys talk with the creators about the genesis of Displaced Persons, its unexpectedly l...
Aug 18, 2014•1 hr 5 min
It’s another month, so Derek is back at his local shop, Collected Comics and Games in Plano, TX. This time around, the topic is sci-fi comics, and joining Derek is new shop employee, Krystal, and several customers of Collected. They chose this month’s topic because of the new release of Guardians of the Galaxy as well as the upcoming new season of Doctor Who. A good bit of this episode is spent on the former — in fact, Derek was the only one at the table who hadn’t yet seen Guardians — and surpr...
Aug 15, 2014•1 hr 13 min
The Two Guys with PhDs are back for another round of reviews, and this week they enthusiastically plunge into three new titles. First, they look at Bryan Lee O’Malley’s new book, Seconds (Ballantine), his much-anticipated follow up to the Scott Pilgrim series. Andy and Derek comment on the expectations surrounding this new work, and they conclude that the book is worth the build up and the wait. This is a much more mature work than the Scott Pilgrim books, not only in terms of subject matter, bu...
Aug 13, 2014•1 hr 32 min
On this episode of The Comics Alternative Interviews, Derek and Andy W. talk with Alec Longstreth about his recent book, Basewood, as well as his self-published minicomic series, Phase 7. They ask him about the genesis of his first graphic novel, his experience with serialization, the successful Kickstarter campaign, and efforts to publicize and distribute his beautiful hardbound book. Alec also talks extensively about the music he and fellow musician Andy Hentz created as a soundtrack for the c...
Aug 11, 2014•1 hr 19 min
In the second of two special Wizard World episodes, Derek participates on a discussion organized especially for the San Antonio con, “Getting Respect: Comics Goes to College.” The panel was moderated and organized by Danny Fingeroth — who oversees many of the panels at Wizard World cons across the country — and featured a variety of comics scholars. In addition to Derek and Danny, the participants included Sam Cannon from the University of Texas at Austin, Louie Dean Valencia-Garcia studying at ...
Aug 08, 2014•1 hr 40 min
Last weekend Derek headed to the Wizard World San Antonio Comic Con, and there he spoke with several creators about their work, their various contributions to the comics community, and their experiences at this first-time-ever event in San Antonio. Talking with Derek at the con was Neal Adams — who delivers science lessons with thoughts on his hollow earth model — Michael Golden, J. R. Knoll, Danny Fingeroth, and Jai Nitz. Golden and Nitz discussed their teaching efforts, and Fingeroth shared hi...
Aug 07, 2014•50 min
With this week’s episode, Andy and Derek celebrate their 2nd anniversary as a podcast! What a time to celebrate…and celebrate, they do, in the form of a hefty, action-packed episode of The Comics Alternative. They begin with a rundown of the 2014 Eisner Award winners, announced recently at the San Diego Comic-Con. Neither of the guys are surprised at the winners — including Saga, Hawkeye, The Wake, Richard Stark’s Parker: Slayground, and creators such as Brian K. Vaughn, Jeffery Brown, and both ...
Aug 06, 2014•2 hr 1 min
This week on The Comics Alternative, Derek and Andy W. discuss three new titles. First they look at the reissue of David Lapham’s Murder Me Dead (Image). Originally a nine-issue miniseries that was later collected as a trade in 2002, the book is now back in print with a new reissue. The guys discussed Stray Bullets‘ return back in April, and now they’re just as excited to see this release. This is Lapham’s tip of the bristol board to the classic noir films of the 1940s and 1950s. Next, they turn...
Jul 30, 2014•1 hr 37 min
On this week’s The Comics Alternative, Derek and Andy W. review four new titles, all of which revisit older characters and licenses. To begin, they discuss the first collected volume of Sam Kieth and William Messner-Loebs’s remastered The Maxx Maxximized (IDW Publishing). Neither of the guys read the series when it originally came out in the early 1990s, so both are looking at this title through unexperienced eyes. This is one of Kieth’s most ambitious works in terms of both story and art, highl...
Jul 23, 2014•1 hr 37 min
It’s another episode of The Comics Alternative Interviews, and this time Andy and Derek talk with Ryan Browne, the comedic mastermind behind God Hates Astronauts. On the show, Ryan discusses his new ongoing series from Image Comics, how it springs from the first volume of God Hates Astronauts, and the challenges and changes he’s encountered going from a self-published webcomic to an monthly series. The guys have a fun time talking about the weird characters and the almost indescribable plot that...
Jul 21, 2014•1 hr 47 min
On this episode of The Comics Alternative, Derek is joined by Gene to review two new books. First, they look at Can’t We Talk about Something More Pleasant?: A Memoir by New Yorker cartoonist Roz Chast (Bloomsbury). This is Chast’s account of her parents’ failing health, the process of dying, and the author’s complicated relationship with both her mother and father (especially her mother). It is a moving, and at times heartrending, story about George and Elizabeth Chast, their physical decline, ...
Jul 16, 2014•1 hr 22 min
On this episode of The Comics Alternative Interviews Andy and Derek are excited to have Derek Van Gieson as their guest…or “DVG” to distinguish him from Derek R. The Two Guys are big fans of DVG’s minicomic series, Eel Mansions, with its wild premises, its absurd scenes, its plentifully pop-culture references, and its intertwining soap opera-like storylines. DVG describes it as “The Young and the Restless meet The X-Files,” and his series embraces both the drama and the freakishness of those tel...
Jul 15, 2014•1 hr 23 min
