On the current Kickstarter episode, Derek talks with comics legend Denis Kitchen about Madness in Crowds: The Teeming Mind of Harrison Cady , the latest campaign from Beehive Books, in association with Denis. Madness in Crowds will be a large-format hardcover art book -- a towering 10" x 14" and with 176+ pages -- collecting the works of the definitive early 20th-century illustrator and cartoonist Harrison Cady (1877–1970). So, who was Harrison Cady? As Denis and company describes the artist: Ov...
May 26, 2018•17 min
Time Codes: 00:00:29 - Introduction 00:02:52 - Pascal reports back from TCAF! 00:09:10 - Lovecraft: The Myth of Cthulhu 00:41:51 - Algeria Is Beautiful Like America 01:20:20 - Die Laughing 01:51:28 - Wrap up 01:52:19 - Contact us For the May Euro Comics episode, Pascal and Derek discuss three very different works in translation...but all of which are primarily in black-and-white. They begin with Esteban Maroto's Lovecraft: The Myth of Cthulhu (IDW Publishing), an adaptation of three of H. P. Lov...
May 25, 2018•1 hr 55 min
Time Codes: 00:24 - Introduction 02:19 - Setup of interview 04:13 - Interview with Peter Normanton 55:17 - Wrap up 55:53 - Contact us On past episodes of The Comics Alternative , the Two Guys have discussed comics fandom and zine culture quite often, although usually the context surrounds American fan activity. But as Derek points out in his conversation with Peter Normanton, he has little knowledge of fanzines outside of the states, particularly within the United Kingdom. That’s why Peter’s lat...
May 24, 2018•59 min
Time Codes: 00:00:33 - Introduction 00:02:57 - Listener mail! 00:10:23 - James Joyce: Portrait of a Dubliner - A Graphic Biography 00:41:38 - NOW #3 01:13:43 - A discussion of the 2018 Eisner Award nominations 02:00:49 - Wrap up 02:01:55 - Contact us This week Paul and Derek review two recent releases, and they also take the time to discuss this year's Eisner Award nominations. They start off with Alfonso Zapico's James Joyce: Portrait of a Dubliner - A Graphic Biography (Arcade Publishing). Ori...
May 23, 2018•2 hr 5 min•Ep. 281
For this week's Kickstarter show, Derek talks Rickman about his current campaign Sock: The Comic Book . It's the (largely) wordless story of an unlikely hero displaced from his companion in the laundromat, and going at it on his own as a crimefighter. Sock will be a 32-page black-and-white comic book, one that will be appropriate for all ages. Rickman describes the origins of Sock this way: The idea came to me during the 1999 San Diego Comic Con while at the pool with friends after a day at the ...
May 19, 2018•15 min
Time Codes: 00:00:24 - Introduction 00:02:49 - Setup of interview 00:04:18 - Interview with Alison McCreesh 01:04:09 - Wrap up 01:04:44 - Contact us Readers of Alison McCreesh’s 2015 work, Ramshackle: A Yellowknife Story , know about the draw northern climates has on her and the love she has for pioneer-like exploration. In her new book, Norths: Two Suitcases and a Stroller around the Circumpolar World , released last month from Conundrum Press, Alison ramps up those affections. It’s an account ...
May 18, 2018•1 hr 8 min
Time Codes: 00:00:24 - Introduction 00:02:49 - Setup of interview 00:03:58 - Interview with Kriota Willberg 01:15:16 - Wrap up 01:16:21 - Contact us The Two Guys talk with a lot of comics creators about their craft, their ideas, and their passions. But they never really talk with them about their health. On this interview episode, Gene and Derek have as their guest an artist who is all about health and well-being. Kriota Willberg, whose new book Draw Stronger: Self-Care For Cartoonists and Other...
May 17, 2018•1 hr 20 min
Time Codes: 00:00:29 - Introduction 00:03:16 - Listener mail! 00:06:17 - The New World: Comics from Mauretania 00:48:32 - Young Frances 01:20:52 - A Walk through Hell #1 01:39:53 - Wrap up 01:40:52 - Contact us On this episode of the podcast, Paul and Derek look at three new releases that, while all compelling readings, are vastly different in style and narrative approach. They begin with Chris Reynold's The New World: Comics from Mauretania , recently released from Gallery 13. This is a collect...
May 16, 2018•1 hr 44 min•Ep. 280
Time Codes: 00:24 - Introduction 03:18 - Setup of interview 05:37 - Interview with Michael Kupperman 56:33 - Wrap up 58:16 - Contact us On this interview episode, Gene and Derek are happy to have Michael Kupperman on the show to discuss his new book All the Answers , just out from Simon and Shuster's Gallery 13 imprint. Long-time fans of Kupperman will find a significant tonal shift from his earlier works such as Tales Designed to Thrizzle or Snake 'n' Bacon's Cartoon Cabaret . This new book is ...
May 15, 2018•1 hr 2 min
Time Codes: 00:00:28 - Introduction 00:02:52 - Sean recovers! 00:05:19 - Eisner Awards nominees overview 00:23:15 - Awaiting a Wa ve 00:32:35 - Dispatch from a Sanctuary City 00:45:04 - Welcome to the New World 01:03:09 - The Tea Dragon Society 01:18:41 - Brothers Bond 01:39:18 - Wrap up 01:43:44 - Contact us After a month's hiatus -- and due to an accident that Sean suffered (although he's recovering now!) -- the Two Guys are back with their latest webcomics episode. And since it's Eisner Award...
May 14, 2018•1 hr 47 min
This week on the Kickstarter show, Derek talks with Jason Beirens about his current campaign for the second issue of his series, Skullduggery . Jason calls Skullduggery a "legal fiction," a Disney-inspired crime narrative that is less police procedural and more based in the courtroom. His previously Kickstarted first issue of Skullduggery is described as the beginning of a look into a double homicide of two known criminals by Judge Stewie Sponte, his assistant Maggie P.I. (a magpie) and his owl....
May 11, 2018•18 min
Time Codes: 00:00:26 - Introduction 00:02:33 - Setting up the episode 00:04:17 - More listener mail! 00:06:49 - Completing Monster 00:49:03 - Completing Otherworld Barbara 01:14:28 - Completing other manga series 01:26:25 - Wrap up 01:27:47 - Contact us On this episode of the monthly manga series -- the April show, actually, albeit late -- Shea and Derek revisit some of the titles that they had previously discussed. They talk about these series now that they have more volumes under their belts, ...
May 11, 2018•1 hr 31 min
Time Codes: 00:00:24 - Introduction 00:02:29 - Setup of interview 00:04:08 - Interview with Bill Schelly 01:06:00 - Wrap up 01:06:40 - Contact us There’s perhaps no better historian on American comics fandom than Bill Schelly. Having been a part of the zine scene in the 1960s and early 1970s, and starting when he was a teenager, Schelly worked with many of the movers and shakers within the fan community and published several fanzines of his own. In the early 1990s he returned to comics as a chro...
May 10, 2018•1 hr 10 min
Time Codes: 00:00:25 - Introduction 00:02:14 - Setup of interview 00:04:00 - Interview with Zach Worton 00:59:46 - Wrap up 01:00:27 - Contact us 01:01:46 - “Gotta Get You Outta My Head,” by Zorton and the Cannibals Zach Worton was last on the podcast about two years ago, around the time of the publication of the second volume in his Charley Butters series, The Search for Charley Butters . On that interview show, Zach discussed the development of his storyline and what to expect in the third and ...
May 10, 2018•1 hr 5 min
This week, Paul and Derek take an extensive look at the May Previews catalog. In fact, their look is so extensive that their discussion evolves into an extra-long episode, spanning almost three hours! (Then again, listeners of the podcast probably are used to these long Previews episodes.) The Two Guys begin by sharing listener mail, and then they make a few comments about some of the changes Diamond has made to their catalog over the past couple of months. After that, they jump into the nitty g...
May 09, 2018•2 hr 55 min•Ep. 279
Time Codes: 00:00:24 - Introduction 00:02:41 - Setup of interview 00:04:04 - Interview with Pat Palermo 01:06:50 - Wrap up 01:07:33 - Contact us Pat Palermo is an artist and Xeric Award-winning cartoonist living and working in Brooklyn. In fact, the intersection of “living and working” is the subject matter of his new series coming out from AdHouse Books, LIVE/WORK . The first issue of this magazine-sized comic came out last month, and it’s an ensemble narrative concerning the exploits of New Yo...
May 08, 2018•1 hr 10 min
For the May on-location episode, Derek is back at Heroes Aren't Hard to Find for Free Comic Book Day. This is a big occasion, and business at Heroes was bustling and crowded, with customers lining up to get in as early as 5:30 am. In fact, this show was recorded outside of the shop where things were less chaotic. Joining Derek was Zyg (who has become a regular at these on-location shows), David, Adam, Jake, and Emily. Everyone talks about the various FCBD titles and which ones they're particular...
May 07, 2018•1 hr 7 min
Derek talks with Zack Sot0 about his Kickstarter project The Secret Voice , Vol. 1 . Zack describes it as "as psychedelic fantasy epic" filled with psychic warrior monks, wild kung fu magic battles, monsters, and even a bit of romance. Over the coals of their conversation, Zack discusses the origins of The Secret Voice in a minicomic, its development as a webcomic and then a comic book, and its maturation as a book-length narrative. The creator describes the premise this way: Doctor Galapagos, a...
May 05, 2018•21 min
Time Codes: 00:25 - Introduction 02:19 - Setup of interview 03:38 - Interview with Hazel Newlevant 53:01 - Wrap up 53:31 - Contact us Hazel Newlevant is an artist and editor, known for their graphic novella Sugar Town , which they call “a queer poly rom-com,” as well as Tender-Hearted , winner of the 2017 Ignatz Award for outstanding minicomic. In 2016 the Two Guys discussed Hazel’s edited collection, Chainmail Bikini , an anthology of comics by and about women games released in 2016, and for wh...
May 04, 2018•56 min
Time Codes: 00:00:25 - Introduction 00:02:49 - Setup of interview 00:03:58 - Interview with Mairghread Scott and Robin Robinson 01:03:26 - Wrap up 01:04:32 - Contact us First Second has recently published The City on the Other Side , a historically based fantasy written by Mairghread Scott and with art by Robin Robinson. Gwen and Derek talk with the creators about their new book, the genesis behind the concept, and their decision to base their narrative in San Francisco. This is a compelling sto...
May 02, 2018•1 hr 8 min
Time Codes: 00:00:32 - Introduction 00:03:09 - A few words (and a gripe) about the 2018 Eisner Award nominations 00:11:02 - Terminal Lance Ultimate Omnibus 00:37:29 - Death or Glory #1 00:47:28 - Black [AF]: Widows and Orphans #1 01:03:08 - Wrap up 01:04:46 - Contact us This week Paul and Derek focus on three titles that are strikingly different in nature. They begin with Maximilian Uriarte's Terminal Lance Ultimate Omnibus: The World's Most Popular Military Comic Strip (Little Brown and Company...
May 01, 2018•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 278
Time Codes: 00:00:27 - Introduction 00:02:28 - Setup of interview 00:03:51 - Interview with Neal Adams , Rafael Medoff , and Craig Yoe 01:05:12 - Wrap up 01:05:48 - Contact us On this interview episode, Derek talks with Neal Adams, Rafael Medoff, and Craig Yoe about their new book We Spoke Out: Comic Books and the Holocaust (Yoe Books/IDW Publishing). All three of these guests have been on the podcast before. Derek briefly interviewed Neal Adams at a couple of different cons, releasing those con...
May 01, 2018•1 hr 9 min
Time Codes: 00:00:31 - Introduction 00:03:21 - Setup of the discussion 00:04:00 - The Dragon Slayer: Folktales from Latin America 00:27:07 - The Lost Path 00:47:59 - A discussion of the children's comics-related book market 01:10:32 - Wrap up 01:11:47 - Contact us In this episode of the Comics Alternative Young Readers Show, Gwen and Paul review two new releases, both of which have a connection to folklore and fairy tales: Jaime Hernandez’s The Dragon Slayer: Folktales from Latin America from To...
Apr 30, 2018•1 hr 16 min
Play It Again This weekend Derek talks with Tom Manning about his Kickstarter campaign Eric: A Graphic Novel . This is a substantive graphic novel about a fictional musician with a wild and memorable life. Eric, once a popular Los Angeles musician in the ’60s and ’70s, is now is a drug-addled relic grappling with his irrelevance. But, after he snaps on live TV while promoting his greatest hits album, Eric finds himself in the center of what may be a terrifying conspiracy spanning multiple realit...
Apr 28, 2018•20 min
It's the April on-location visit to Heroes Aren't Hard to Find in Charlotte, NC. As he usually does, Derek is at the shop talking with customers about comics-related matters. But his time at Heroes also corresponds with the visit of Queens University Prof. Michael Kobre’s class, "Secret Identities, Diversity, and Popular Culture."
Apr 26, 2018•1 hr 2 min
Paul and Derek discuss Anna Haifisch's Von Spatz, Joe Henderson and Lee Garbett's Skyward #1, and Peter Hogan and Steve Parkhouse's Resident Alien: An Alien in New York #1.
Apr 25, 2018•1 hr 37 min•Ep. 277
Time Codes: 00:26 - Introduction 03:02 - Setup of interview 05:10 - Interview with Paul Karasik and Mark Newgarden 56:08 - Wrap up 58:29 - Contact us Gene and Derek are happy to have on the podcast Paul Karasik and Mark Newgarden. Their book How to Read Nancy: The Elements of Comics in Three Easy Panels was released last fall from Fantagraphics Books. The authors are back on the circuit discussing their close reading of Ernie Bushmiller, but they took time to talk with the Two Guys about their l...
Apr 12, 2018•1 hr 2 min
Time Codes: 00:00:31 - Introduction 00:02:52 - Catching up with Paul, AKA, "Dissertation Boy" 00:04:24 - More listener mail! 00:15:50 - Milk Wars 00:49:42 - Motor Girl Omnibus 01:08:52 - Strangers in Paradise XXV #1 & #2 01:24:13 - Wrap up 01:25:47 - Contact us Paul is back on the podcast, fresh from working on his dissertation. On this episode, he updates Derek on his dissertating progress, and then the Two Guys plunge into the show proper. They begin by looking at the five issues that make...
Apr 11, 2018•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 276
Time Codes: 00:26 - Introduction 02:22 - Setup of interview 03:46 - Interview with Grace Ellis and Shae Beagle 43:14 - Wrap up 43:49 - Contact us Mythical figures, anthropomorphic characters, and heavy dose of magic, all set in a contemporary urban landscape complete with coffeehouses, mobile devices, and garage bands. This is the world of Moonstruck , a series that began last year and coming out from Image Comics. The writer and artist of this series, Grace Ellis and Shae Beagle, were kind enou...
Apr 10, 2018•47 min
Time Codes: 00:00:28 - Introduction 00:02:47 - Pascal on the podcast, Round 2 00:04:19 - Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World 00:49:37 - Yellow Negroes and Other Imaginary Creatures 01:31:45 - Wrap up 01:32:39 - Contact us This month Pascal and Derek look at two recent books that, while strikingly different in their storytelling approaches, are both insightful examinations of the socio-historical forces that shape individuals' lives. They begin with Pénélope Bagieu's Brazen: Rebel Ladies Wh...
Apr 09, 2018•1 hr 36 min
