Time Codes: 00:00:30 - Introduction 00:03:12 - The tragedy of the California wildfires 00:05:58 - Lighter Than My Shadow 00:48:27 - Now #1 01:14:03 - The Family Trade #1 01:31:28 - Wrap up 01:32:31 - Contact us This week Paul and Derek take on three exciting new titles. They begin with a moving memoir from UK creator Katie Green, Lighter Than My Shadow (Roar-Lion Forge). In this work, Green reveals the eating disorders she struggled with as a young girl and into adulthood. Growing up obsessive-c...
Oct 18, 2017•1 hr 36 min•Ep. 253
Time Codes: 00:00:24 - Introduction 00:02:39 - Setup of interview 00:04:28 - Interview with Sophie Goldstein 01:16:41 - Wrap up 01:18:21 - Contact us On this episode of The Comics Alternative 's interview series, Paul and Derek are pleased to talk with Sophie Goldstein. Her new book, House of Women , was recently published by Fantagraphics, and she talks with the Two Guys about her four-year process of creating her narrative. As Sophie describes it, this is a psycho-sexual sci-fi drama about a g...
Oct 17, 2017•1 hr 21 min
Time Codes: 00:00:26 - Introduction 00:02:26 - Getting back in the manga saddle 00:05:37 - Uncomfortably Happily 00:44:42 - Appleseed Alpha 01:22:55 - Wrap up 01:24:37 - Contact us The monthly manga series is back, and on this episode -- the first of two manga shows in October -- Shea and Derek discuss a couple of very different works. They begin with Yeon-Sik Hong's Uncomfortably Happily (Drawn and Quarterly). This is the story of Hong and his wife becoming frustrated with living in crowded and...
Oct 16, 2017•1 hr 28 min
Time Codes: 00:00:31 - Introduction 00:03:14 - Hello to Paul! 00:04:44 - Spinning 00:33:30 - Love and Rockets, Vol. 4 #3 01:07:11 - Slot s #1 01:25:49 - Wrap up 01:27:12 - Contact us On this week's episode of The Comics Alternative , Paul joins Derek in discussing three exciting new titles. They begin with Spinning , Tillie Walden's new book and her initial release for First Second. What makes this work stand out from her previous comics, such as The End of Summer and I Love This Part , is that ...
Oct 11, 2017•1 hr 31 min•Ep. 252
Time Codes: 00:00:28 - Introduction 00:03:16 - Comments on hiatus 00:05:33 - Righteous 00:28:44 - Zen and the Ephemeral 00:48:36 - American Barbarian 01:15:35 - Wrap up 01:16:43 - Contact us The Comics Alternative 's monthly webcomics series is back, and for October Sean and Derek discuss three intriguing titles. They begin with Righteous , written by Kevin Sheller and with art by Joseba Morales and colors by Gab Contreras. This is a narrative with a curious premise: What would happen if suddenl...
Oct 09, 2017•1 hr 21 min
The Two Guys with PhDs have been on hiatus for a couple of months -- as they explain in this episode, life matters prevented new episodes -- but now the weekly review show is back...and with a vengeance. On this episode, Gene and Derek look through the October Previews catalog. There's a lot packed into this month's solicits, and the guys have their hands full. But Gene and Derek rise to the occasion and highlight a variety of upcoming titles from publishers such as: Dark Horse Comics - Incogneg...
Oct 04, 2017•1 hr 35 min•Ep. 251
Time Codes: 00:00:28 - Introduction 00:04:29 - A Different Pond 00:15:30 - Swing It, Sunny 00:32:50 - Pashmina 00:53:04 - A young reader's perspective 01:25:39 - Contact us On this episode of the Comics Alternative Young Readers podcast, Gwen and Paul discuss three comics that run the gamut from early readers up to teens. First on deck, they discuss Bao Phi and Thi Bui’s A Different Pond (Capstone Young Readers), a children’s hybrid picture book/comic that focuses on a bonding moment between a y...
Oct 02, 2017•1 hr 29 min
Time Codes: 00:00:27 - Introduction 00:03:06 - Roundtable discussion with Charles Hatfield and Krystal Howard 01:25:00 - Wrap up 01:27:49 - Contact us For this Young Readers show, Paul and Gwen change things up a bit by hosting a roundtable on the state of children’s and YA comics with two amazing scholars: Dr. Charles Hatfield , professor in the department of English at California State University, Northridge, and his new college, Dr. Krystal Howard , an assistant professor who is dual appointe...
Aug 10, 2017•1 hr 31 min
Time Codes: 00:00:30 - Introduction 00:02:37 - Comments on the 2017 Eisner Award winners 00:14:49 - The Death of Stalin 00:41:52 - Moonstruck #1 01:02:16 - Kros: Hallowed Ground 01:33:14 - Wrap up 01:34:25 - Contact us This week on The Comics Alternative 's regular review show, the Two Guys discuss three recent titles, all of which involve monsters....or outsiders, depending on your perspective. They begin with The Death of Stalin , written by Fabien Nury and with art by Thierry Robin (Titan Com...
Aug 09, 2017•1 hr 37 min•Ep. 250
This just may be the last on-location episode of The Comics Alternative conducted from Valhalla Games and Comics in Plano, TX. Derek is moving to North Carolina and will no longer be in the DFW area to do these shows. But customers of Valhalla and friends of the podcast, both long-timers and new listeners, come by the shop to say a fond farewell...and talk about comics. Joining Derek for this special episode are Craig, Matt, Jay, Tristan, and Kelly. Their interests are diverse, so the conversati...
Aug 08, 2017•1 hr 29 min
Time Codes: 00:00:25 - Introduction 00:03:23 - Setup, and a big thanks to Jerome Saincantin! 00:05:01 - Valerian and Laureline 01:13:46 - Wrap up 01:15:10 - Contact us This month on The Comics Alternative 's Euro Comics series, Edward and Derek devote the entire episode to Pierre Christin and Jean-Claude Mézières's Valerian and Laureline series. They do this within the context of Luc Besson's new film Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets . As the guys point out, the series' English publis...
Jul 21, 2017•1 hr 18 min
Time Codes: 00:00:25 - Introduction 00:02:24 - Setup of interview 00:03:34 - Interview with Ger Apeldoorn 01:06:35 - Wrap up 01:08:17 - Contact us Just in time for the San Diego Comic-Con -- where he and Craig Yoe will be meeting with fans and signing books -- Ger Apeldoorn is on the show to talk with Derek about his new book, Behaving Madly: Zany, Loco, Cockeyed, Rip-off, Satire Magazines (IDW/Yoe Books). It's a beautifully produced work that highlights the many knockoffs of Bill Gaines's Mad t...
Jul 20, 2017•1 hr 11 min
Time Codes: 00:00:32 - Introduction 00:02:58 - Checking in 00:04:42 - Reich 00:48:27 - The American Way: Those Above and Those Below #1 01:10:26 - Time and Vine #1 01:31:08 - Wrap up 01:32:04 - Contact us This week the Two Guys with PhDs Talking about Comics look at three very different titles. They begin with Elijah Brubaker's Reich , a twelve-issue biography published by Sparkplug Comics and distributed through Alternative Comics. The series reveals the life of Wilhelm Reich, the Austrian-Amer...
Jul 19, 2017•1 hr 35 min•Ep. 249
Time Codes: 00:00:24 - Introduction 00:02:26 - Setup of interview 00:04:21 - Interview with Gabrielle Bell 01:00:03 - Wrap up 01:01:21 - Contact us On this interview episode Andy and Derek are pleased to have as their guest Gabrielle Bell. Her latest book, Everything Is Flammable , came out recently from Uncivilized Books. The guys talk with Gabrielle extensively about the idea for this book -- described as her first long-form graphic memoir -- and how it evolved from her work on short diary pie...
Jul 18, 2017•1 hr 4 min
Time Codes: 00:00:26 - Introduction 00:02:22 - Setup of the recording 00:04:30 - The Hernandez brothers panel at HeroesCon 01:08:05 - Wrap up 01:09:46 - Contact us At this year's HeroesCon, Andy and Derek moderated a couple of panels, one of which was entirely devoted to the Hernandez brothers, Gilbert and Jaime. In this on-location episode, you'll hear the Two Guys talking with the brothers about their new magazine-sized Love and Rockets series, the logistics of going from an annual to a quarte...
Jul 17, 2017•1 hr 13 min
Time Codes: 00:00:24 - Introduction 00:02:42 - Setup of interview 00:04:01 - Interview with Denis Kitchen 01:09:50 - Wrap up 01:11:09 - Contact us Andy and Derek are happy to have Denis Kitchen back on The Comics Alternative . On his previous appearance surrounded Will Eisner Week 2015, but this time, he discusses the Will Eisner centennial as well as his work on the Essential Kurtzman volumes. Earlier this year Dark Horse Books, through the Kitchen Sink Books imprint, published Will Eisner: The...
Jul 14, 2017•1 hr 14 min
Time Codes: 00:01:26 - Introduction 00:03:38 - Thank you to Red Pegasus Comics ! 00:08:36 - Outburst 00:32:32 - Steam Clean 00:44:57 - Resist! Vol. 2 01:24:37 - Wrap up 01:25:36 - Contact us "Smell my book. Feel bad." On this week's episode, the Two Guys with PhDs Talking about Comics look at there new releases...and even smell them. They begin with Pieter Coudyzer's Outburst (SelfMadeHero), a surreal meditation on creative expression and not fitting in. The narrative can even be called an examp...
Jul 12, 2017•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 248
Time Codes: 00:00:29 - Introduction 00:03:23 - Another jab at Eisner Award definitions 00:05:05 - Gods Can't Die 00:27:25 - Kamikaze 00:52:38 - The Secret Life of Gitmo's Women 01:15:59 - Wrap up 01:18:59 - Contact us Sean and Derek are back with their monthly foray into the realm of webcomics. They begin with Z. Akhmatova's Gods Can't Die , a lavishly illustrated fantasy of adventure and self-discovery. This is a relatively young webcomic, beginning in April 2016, so readers can easily jump on ...
Jul 10, 2017•1 hr 22 min
It's the first week of the month, so that must mean that it's time once again for Andy and Derek to check out the latest Previews catalog. As they go through the July solicitations, they highlight a variety of upcoming titles from publishers such as: Dark Horse Comics - Legacy: An Off-Color Novella for You to Color and Best Wishes DC/Vertigo - House of Secrets: The Bronze Age Omnibus and Sebastian O/The Mystery Play Deluxe Edition IDW Publishing/Top Shelf - Elenora Mandragora: Daughter of Merlin...
Jul 05, 2017•2 hr 11 min•Ep. 247
Time Codes: 00:00:28 - Introduction 00:02:47 - Catching up 00:05:57 - My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness 00:50:05 - Golden Kamuy, Vol. 1 01:22:31 - Wrap up 01:23:25 - Contact us It's the end of the month, so that must mean that it's time for Shea and Derek to discuss their latest manga recommendations. They begin with Kabi Nagata's My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness (Seven Seas Entertainment), a deeply personal autobiographical work whose title is perhaps more provocative than it is reveal...
Jun 30, 2017•1 hr 27 min
Time Codes: 00:00:29 - Introduction 00:02:36 - Listener messages! 00:08:24 - HeroesCon, podcast fans, and self-published comics 00:14:58 - Greek Diary 00:37:36 - Paper Pencil Life 00:59:42 - KatZine 01:16:04 - Wrap up 01:17:17 - Contact us This week on The Comics Alternative , Andy and Derek do something they've never done before on the podcast: discuss only self-published titles. They got the idea for this special episode from one of the creators they look at, Glynnis Fawkes, when she was kind ...
Jun 28, 2017•1 hr 20 min
Time Codes: 00:25 - Introduction 02:31 - Setup of interview 03:11 - Interview with Hope Larson and Rebecca Mock 54:00 - Wrap up 57:40- Contact us On this interview episode, Gwen and Derek are pleased to have as their guest the creators behind the Four Points books, Hope Larson and Rebecca Mock. The second (and perhaps final) work in the series, Knife's Edge , comes out this week from Farrar, Straus and Giroux, and your two highly credentialed cohosts talk with the creators about the new book and...
Jun 26, 2017•1 hr 1 min
Time Codes: 00:00:27 - Introduction 00:02:57 - Context of the 2017 Eisner Awards 00:06:14 - Best Publication for Early Readers (up to age 8) 00:57:02 - Best Publication for Kids (ages 9-12) 01:49:53 - Best Publication for Teens (ages 13-17) 02:52:17 - Wrap up 02:53:05 - Contact us This month, Gwen and Paul discuss the three Eisner Award categories that focus on comics for young readers. And this is a jam-packed, extra-long episode! As they work through each set of nominees, Paul and Gwen discuss...
Jun 23, 2017•2 hr 57 min
Last weekend was HeroesCon, and as they have for the past few years, Andy and Derek are on the scene in Artists Alley reporting the event from the floor. On this episode, you'll hear the Two Guys sharing their varied experiences at the con. Among other topics they discuss the vendors they visited and the comics they were able to find, their attempts to interview creators at their tables, the two high-powered panels they moderated, the various artists they had signing their comics, the tone of th...
Jun 21, 2017•55 min
Time Codes: 00:00:27 - Introduction 00:02:37 - Setup of episode 00:03:27 - Fabian Rangel, Jr. 00:10:23 - Charles Forsman 00:18:34 - Darren Neely 00:34:04 - Chris Sheridan 00:48:42 - Shawn Pryor 00:54:46 - Alison Sampson 01:04:04 - Wrap up 01:05:11 - Contact us In the second of two on-location interview episodes recorded at this year's HeroesCon in Charlotte, NC, Derek talks with Fabian Rangel, Jr. (author of Tarantula ), Charles Forsman ( Slasher ), Chris Sheridan ( Motorcycle Samurai ), Shawn P...
Jun 20, 2017•1 hr 8 min
Time Codes: 00:00:27 - Introduction 00:02:15 - Setup of episode 00:03:50 - Ben Sears 00:10:01 - Abby Howard 00:19:12 - Jody Leheup and Sebastian Girner 00:30:29 - Andy Hirsch 00:36:24 - Matthew David Smith and Jeremy Massie 00:44:53 - Tyler Chin-Tanner 00:51:44 - Sam Costello 01:02:11 - Thom Zahler 01:11:49 - Wrap up 01:12:46 - Contact us In the first of two on-location interview episodes recorded at this year's HeroesCon in Charlotte, NC, Derek talks with a variety of artists, writers, and edit...
Jun 19, 2017•1 hr 16 min
Time Codes: 00:00:27 - Introduction 00:02:55 - Webcomics news: The Library of Congress' Web Comics Web Archive 00:11:24 - Trying to make sense of the Eisner Awards' "Best Web Comic" and "Best Digital Comic" categories 00:30:37 - The Middle Age 00:44:30 - On Beauty 00:56:54 - Helm 01:08:27 - On a Sunbeam 01:32:41 - Wrap up 01:34:14 - Contact us For the June webcomics episode, Sean and Derek take a close look at the webcomics nominees for the 2017 Eisner Awards. Before they do that, though, they h...
Jun 16, 2017•1 hr 38 min
Time Codes: 00:00:26 - Introduction 00:02:36 - Catching up 00:05:04 - Moby Dick 00:48:50 - The Interview 01:18:18 - Wrap up 01:18:58 - Contact us This month on the Euro Comics series, Edward and Derek discuss two black-and-white narratives, one an adaptation of a classic text and another an offbeat tale of aliens and relationships. They begin with Christophe Chabouté's rendering of Herman Melville's Moby Dick (note the lack of hyphen in the title), released earlier this year from Dark Horse Book...
Jun 15, 2017•1 hr 22 min
Time Codes: 00:00:30 - Introduction 00:02:34 - Our table at HeroesCon! 00:04:42 - Nothing Lasts Forever 00:30:37 - What Is a Glacier? 00:43:50 - Revenger and the Fog 01:04:30 - Wrap up 01:05:37 - Contact us This week the Two Guys with PhDs review three recent releases, two of which are autobiographical in nature. They begin with Sina Grace's Nothing Lasts Forever (Image Comics). This follows a couple of other autobiographical works from Grace including Not My Ba g (2012) and Self-Obsessed (2015)...
Jun 14, 2017•1 hr 9 min
The Two Guys with PhDs, AKA "Ben" and "Jason," are back with another Previews episode. And for the month of June, there's a lot that Andy and Derek want to highlight. Among the many upcoming titles they discuss are: Dark Horse Comics - Hellboy in Hell: Library Edition , Mr. Higgins Comes Home , Michael Chabon's The Escapists , and Rashomon: A Commissioner Heigo Kobayashi Case DC/Vertigo - Future Quest Showcase #1 and the various Jack Kirby centennial #1 issues IDW Publishing/Top Shelf - Michael ...
Jun 07, 2017•1 hr 53 min
