Deconstructing Comics

While the characterization of Spidey in  Amazing Spider-Man 2 is still spot-on, not much else in the movie is. Tim and Mulele discuss the myriad problems, and occasional strong points, of this 2014 film.  (Originally published on Patreon July 4, 2020.) Brought to you by: Doomspeak podcast Our supporters on Patreon

After Sam Raimi bailed on doing any more Spidey movies, Sony decided to reboot. So, ten years after Spider-man 1, viewers got a new version of Spider-man's origin story - a long, drawn out one with no catharsis (or did we blink and miss it?). One could call this movie unnecessary, as Mulele does, but Tim finally got the Spidey characterization he's been waiting for! Tim and Mulele review. (Origina...

The adventure in the  Samurai City comes to a close, and Panther attempts to get back to Wakanda . As a vibranium-related crisis unfolds in his homeland, various roadblocks appear in Panther's path to ratchet up the tension. Can he get home in time? Can his geeky relatives help stave off disaster? Who knew  this about vibranium? Tim and Emmet react to surprise twists in Wakanda's past. Brought to...

Persepolis author Marjane Satrapi passed away on June 4. This week, Tim and Kumar recall their initial reactions to that book and talk a bit about her life and legacy. Then, we revisit segments of past episodes in which Tim and Brandon discussed Satrapi's work: Persepolis review from episode 91, published September 3, 2007. `Persepolis 2 and the film version of  Persepolis reviewed in episode 185,...

(Concluding our review of past episodes featuring the work of R. Crumb.) FLASHBACK! Tim and Kumar meet in person for the first time! This calls for a podcast, but… what to review? We discuss the movie  Crumb , which features not only the expected discussion of R. Crumb's work (including an objective look at the question of whether some of the … discomforting subjects of his work should really have...

FLASHBACK! Perhaps one of the most puzzling comics releases in years was  The Book of Genesis, Illustrated by R. Crumb. While it's a virtuoso art performance, the exact purpose of the book was puzzling to Crumb fans ("It's not a parody?!") and religious readers ("This comic is not for kids?!") alike. Both groups have been taken aback by how straight Crumb plays it — neither parodying nor bowdleriz...

FLASHBACK!  Weirdo was a magazine started by R. Crumb, which featured Crumb's work alongside that of a number of other underground-type comics creators. Crumb's work from Weirdo's 28 issues was collected in 2013 as R. Crumb: The Weirdo Years, 1981-'93 , released in the U.S. by Last Gasp. It features an astonishing variety of comics work, from Crumb rants and confessionals to a 1906 psychiatric rep...

Westron is about a private investigator who investigates crimes with supernatural elements. When a girl is murdered, he feels driven to solve the crime by the memory of a childhood friend who was killed. Tim and Jason look into the case of this comic by Shawn McBee, Maciej Jankowski, Nicolas Nieto, and Matia De Vincenzo! Westron  on Kickstarter

At last we complete our look at  Alan Moore 's Swamp Thing run, looking at Swampy's battle with Gotham City, his seeming death, and his travels through space. Along the way, Tim and Kumar have totally different takes on a certain issue, and Tim finds a fact about it that scandalizes Kumar. Join us as we traverse The Saga of the Swamp Thing issues 51-64! What are those folks on Rann saying? Brought...

Typical of the  Jack Kirby comics we've read from the 1970s, the 1977 Black Panther series is a wild ride. Issues 5 and 6 feature a city of samurai (apparently nowhere near Japan), a yeti (nowhere near the Himalayas), and a nuclear missile (which is far too close to Wakanda). Wait, did we say "Wakanda" ?! At last the series is inching back to the familiar territory, literally and figuratively, of...

Adam Tierney , writer of the recent hit one-shot Romeo and Juliet and Godzilla , is a video game writer who dabbles in comics as a hobby -- and it's looking like a very successful hobby! This week he talks to Tim about choosing who Godzilla would cross paths with in his Godzilla's Monsterpiece Theatre issue, his love of horror and forthcoming horror comic for kids, how he got into video games, and...

Jim Steranko 's Nick Fury stories from the late 1960s are lauded for the artwork, especially in the stories after Fury got out of Strange Tales and into his own book. The stories are wacky and kind of haphazard. The layouts are sometimes very innovative, but the storytelling is not always clear. Are these stories worth reading today? Tim and Kumar complete their review of Steranko's Nick Fury. Als...

FLASHBACK! Why read a biography of a fictional comics artist? What if it's also a history of Singapore — done in a style that apes more than a dozen seminal 20th century comics creators? Tim and Kumar take a look at the awe-inspiring (yet sometimes puzzling) Sonny Liew graphic novel  The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye . (Originally published May 8, 2017.) Brought to you by: Full Manga Alchemists Ou...

Black Panther continues his wild ride, courtesy of Jack Kirby -- but filling a role that could have been played by virtually any character. With Abner Little and Princess Zanda, we see him fight various treasure protectors, drive an incredibly stylish ancient vehicle, take on a samurai who's been transplanted to Africa, and more. Tim and Emmet try to keep up with the craziness. Brought to you by:...

Ian M is a Japan-based Canadian creator whose work we've discussed on this podcast before. His work is often about Japan, but not necessarily about himself. In  The Blossoming City part one , he begins the story (presumably true?) about a community garden in Sapporo, in a story that he tells in a variety of cartooning styles. Tim and Adam discuss. Eric Paul Johnson is a podcaster who is publishing...

FLASHBACK! We continue our look at Alan Moore's 1980s run on  Swamp Thing — a run in which the title character met werewolves and vampires (as Moore and co. found a new way to use these old tropes), as well as new character John Constantine. Moore was aided by artists Stephen Bissette , John Totleben , and Alfredo Acala , among others. Koom and newcomer Darrell Epp discuss issues 38-50. (Originall...

FLASHBACK! Even amidst the anything-goes craziness of the early Image years, Sam Kieth's The Maxx was an outlier. While it included some superhero tropes, it wasn't really a superhero book, nor was it like much of anything else on the market, then or now. While it definitely has its weaknesses, Kumar and Dana confirm this week that it was absolutely mind-blowing…and emotionally affecting. Marking...

Somehow it's taken us 20 years of podcasting to get to Jim Steranko's fabled run on Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. But is the early stuff really so fabled? There's lots of action and it's exciting, but don't dare think about it too much, because the seat-of-the-pants plotting is all over the map, and the anatomy drawing sometimes leaves something to be desired. Still, as you go issue by issue, y...

FLASHBACK! Due perhaps to the passage of time, poorly handled reprinting by DC, or some other reason, Alan Moore's writing stint on Swamp Thing in the 1980s does not seem to get mentioned much today. Which is a shame, because it ranks with Moore's best work. And the art by Stephen Bissette and John Totleben (and able fill-in artists) is worth the price of admission by itself, not to mention Tatjan...

We begin our look at  Jack Kirby 's Black Panther series from the 1970s, introducing a new Kirby character who's a bit too similar to one who first appeared in Captain America ! Panther has somehow gotten mixed up in the search for the mate to King Solomon's Frog , an oddball time travel device. The mate is used to return people to their proper point in time. Tim and Emmet discuss the first two is...

Sometimes, achieving your dream can be kind of a nightmare, even though it's also rewarding. Claudia, in  Katriona Chapman 's latest graphic novel  The Pass , has started her own restaurant and enjoys creating in the kitchen, but everything else that goes with it wears her down. The book gives us a peek at the ups and downs of running a restaurant and the relationships that form behind the scenes....

Inio Asano's Goodnight Punpun gives us what appear to be a family of ghostly birds living in a much more realistic-looking world. People within that world don't see them that way, though. It's a world where authority figures act like ADHD kids, where every parent seems to be abusive or alcoholic (or both), and all seem to be fighting relentless depression. It's well done, but is it worth reading?...

After "hunting" the  Fantastic Four , the Black Panther reveals that he did it for practice, as he anticipated a battle against his father's killer: Ulysses Klaw . Sure enough, Klaw shows up right on schedule, and the FF help Panther take him down. Tim and Emmet discuss  Fantastic Four #53 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby! Brought to you by: Checkered Past podcast Our supporters on Patreon

At some point, the idea that some comics should be for adults took over to the extent that it became hard to find good comics for kids. Cartoonist  Harold Buchholz was involved in starting an organization called Kids Love Comics that encourages making comics for kids and does events to hook the kids up with good comics aimed at them. Harold joins Tim this week to talk about that, as well as his in...

Sixty years ago, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby presided over the debut of the  Black Panther in Fantastic Four #52. The story presents the expectations of the average American for stories about Africa (Jungles! Natives! Africa is a country, right?) and defies those expectations by showing a rich, technologically advanced African nation. This time, Tim and Emmet discuss the Panther's debut. Brought to yo...