Classic Comics Cavalcade

Vancouver-based editor, podcast host and fellow comics lover Kurtis Findlay joins Jason this week to discuss Lynn Johnston's brilliant classic comic Strip For Better or For Worse , which Kurtis is assembling and editing for the Library of American Comics. Jason and Kurtis also discuss his work for the LOAC before launching into a discussion of some comics they will have to trade with each other so...

This week Jason speaks with J. Michael Catron, a senior editor at Fantagraphics Books who is responsible for the E.C. Comics and Disney Comics libraries, among others. Jason and Mike talk for around an hour about what made E.C. the greatest company of their time, celebrate some great cartoonists and some rather subpar lettering. They also delve into Mike's history as a publisher at his own Apple C...

This week Jason chats with one of his favorite cartoonists of all time about many topics, including Campbell's remarkable work of comics history "The Goat Getters: Jack Johnson, the Fight of the Century and How a Bunch of Raucous Cartoonists Reinvented Comics." It's a very fun listen. Show notes at   comicscavalcade.tumblr.com

Jon B. Cooke has once again delivered a definitive comics history. "The Book of Weirdo" is an amazingly in-depth history of one of the most important comics anthologies of the 1980s and 1990s, featuring work by such prominent cartoonists as R. Crumb, Peter Bagge, Bill Griffith, Kim Deitch, Ace Backwards and many more, as well as by some of the most obscure and fascinating talented creators of that...

We've all forgotten how strange the phrase "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" sounds. To celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Turtles, Carlos Rodela joins Jason to discuss the creation and amazingly rapid rise of the Turtles, to a point where the two creators were earning $50 million a year from the Turtles. Show notes -- including some vintage photos from Eastman -- are posted at   https://comi...

Jason interviews award-winning comics historian Bill Schelly about his new book James Warren: Empire of Monsters. Warren was a fascinating and important character in comics history, and Schelly shares some fascinating stories about this unique and often person. Show notes are at comicscavalcade.tumblr.com

Jason talks with Zack Davisson, translator of classic manga by creators such as Go Nagai, Mizuki Shigeru, Satoshi Kon and Leiji Matsumoto , about the art of comic translation and what happens when you finally achieve everything you've dreamed of.

Jason chats with Kurt Mitchell, author of The American Comic Book Chronicles: the 1940s, about some of the most important and exciting comics from that era. We talk Simon & Kirby, Eisner, Lou Fine and a slew of more obscure creators and comics. Kurt's book is available at tomorrows.com or amazon.com , or through Diamond at your local comic shop. Show notes, including pages from some of the com...

Jason is joined by Daniel Elkin of My Chicken Enemy and Nick Hanover, esteemed critic, for a discussion of some of the fascinating life and career of writer Steve Gerber. Nick, Daniel and Jason discuss the chilling feel of the Foolkiller comic, how writing six comics per month can change one's attitude, and the importance of having the right artist to match a story. Show notes at comicscavalcade.t...

In part two of his history of the crazy American comic book distribution system, Jason talks about the 1980s comic book boom and bust and about the 1990s comic book boom and its terrible bust, which led to bankruptcy for many businesses and a single national distributor of comic books. How did we get to the bizarre place in which only one company distributes comic books to American comic stores? F...

We're all used to Diamond Distribution being the only company that distributes comic books to the American direct market. But how did we get that way? We look at the corrupt and complex beginnings of comic book distribution and learn about a crucial lawsuit that changed everything.  Part one of two.

This week Jason joins Carlos Rodela of the ALOTOFTHINGS podcast to talk about comic book TV shows. They start with a lively chat about Doom Patrol and The Umbrella Academy before talking about every single comic book based TV show ever produced. Yeah, it's a tough job but who better to handle it? Show notes are available at https://comicscavalcade.tumblr.com/

Tom Mason was in the front line for some of the most interesting events in comics history, from the black and white boom of the 1980s to the creation of Image Comics to Malibu Comics' purchase by Marvel. Tom shares some fascinating behind-the-scenes stories of his long career in this very fun episode.

Broken backs. Madness. Hands eaten by piranhas. A job at Taco Bell? DC abused their mainline heroes in the 1990s -- and were rewarded with great sales.

1993 was a weird, wild year for comic book fans. On one hand, traditional super-heroes seemed to be drifting away from what fans loved about them. On the other hand, a befuddling number of new comics lines were created. We begin exploring that crazy year in this episode.

For many years, Gahan Wilson has been one of our smartest and darkest cartoonists, with brilliant work appearing in the pages of The New Yorker, Playboy and other magazines. It was a thrill to get to speak with the master creator as he launched a kickstarter project.

Jim Shooter is one of the most controversial creators in comic book history. But is that controversy justified? I explore that topic in my latest episode.

Reviving an interview I conducted with the great artist Mark Schultz in 2011 to discuss his amazing Xenozoic Tales, Prince Valiant and artistic independence.

Valiant Comics was one of the most important and influential comic book companies of the 1990s. In this episode, I trace Valiant's long and winding history.

Steve Englehart's run on Justice League of America is a lost classic. We explore it here.