Deconstructing Comics

To this day, Spider-man 2 is considered one of the best superhero movies. How does it stand up to Tim’s first viewing, after watching all the MCU movies that came after? What does Mulele notice about the look of the film that’s a little annoying? How is Spider-fan Tim feeling about the portrayal of Peter Parker in these movies? These points and more!  (Originally published on Patreon A...

Tim and Mulele begin reviewing the Sony (pre-MCU) Spider-man movies with a look at 2002’s Spider-man , directed by Sam Raimi and starring Tobey Maguire. After watching all the MCU movies, how does this film feel different? How was it affected by 9/11? And more. (Originally published on Patreon April 11, 2020) Brought to you by: Our supporters on Patreon

This week, a look at two great new comics submitted by their creators: God Summoner , by Dio Zogaris and Manos Laouvardos , is a story in the fantasy genre. Tim and Jason thought “Meh” until they actually read it! This is a well-written story with beautiful black and white art. The Keluarga Cable Ship Company , by Mereida Fajardo , gives us a father and son with communication problems,...

FLASHBACK! Jim Shooter , who was Marvel Editor-in-Chief from 1978 to 1987, passed away on June 30. He wrote a number of comics published by Marvel (including the original Secret Wars series) and by a number of other companies. Two years ago, Koom interviewed Shooter to find out what he thought about Marvel in its current incarnation, get his recollections of Frank Miller and Ann Nocenti ’s respect...

In the 1960s, both Marvel and DC tried publishing humor books, often in a style reminiscent of MAD Magazine. One of these was DC’s  Angel and the Ape , about a beautiful young woman and a comics-artist gorilla who run a detective agency. While it only survived for 7 issues (with two title changes!) in 1968-69, somehow it got a Phil Foglio reboot in 1991, and showed up again as a Vertigo book...

Art by Don Martin POW! ZAP! Comics may not be for kids anymore, but they still have sound effects! Our own Patrick Ijima-Washburn noticed that Japanese editions of American comics left the sound effects untranslated, and decided to put together a book on how common English sound effects should be translated . Life being what it is, it took well over a decade, but the book is finally out digitally,...

While the last three issues of Captain America and the Falcon we looked at were rather underwhelming, issues 209 to 211 give us all the kooky science fiction and Kirby Crackle we could want! The appearance of Arnim Zola, in his first face-off with Cap, has revitalized the story. But Falcon seems shunted off to the side, and what the heck happened to Anna Maria’s personality?? Tim and Emmet d...

We conclude our look at 2015’s Fant4stic , directed by Josh Trank . Trank’s behavior on the set (and on Twitter) have been nothing but bad for his career, and studio meddling was nothing but bad for a film that wasn’t a good take on the FF, but might have at least been a better film if Trank had been left alone. As it was, we’re left with yet another FF movie that’s s...

Should a director re-interpret a property when nobody wanted it re-interpreted? 2015’s  Fant4stic , directed by Josh Trank , turns getting superpowers into an exercise in body horror. Much of its inspiration comes from Bendis and Millar’s very straightfaced Ultimate Fantastic Four comics, Trank threw in a liberal helping of  The Fly and  Scanners . Tim, Kumar, and Jordan (in another cr...

After the (connected) short stories of Safer Places , Kit Anderson ‘s new book is a full-on graphic novel called Second Shift (again from Avery Hill) which has gotten some breathlessly positive reviews from writers who give the impression they totally understand it. At Deconstructing Comics, our reviews tend to be more nuanced. What did we think of it? I’m joined by Loyala Marymount Universi...

FLASHBACK! Eileen Gray: A House Under the Sun is a slim graphic novel by Charlotte Malterre-Barthes and Zosia Dzierzawska, about the titular famous Irish architect that most people have never heard of. Kumar and Emmet found it beautiful and intriguing; here’s their review. (Originally published August 28, 2019.) This episode includes a new intro from Emmet, referring to the recent film about Gray....

Ken Krimstein ‘s Einstein in Kafkaland: How Albert Fell Down the Rabbit Hole and Came up with the Universe builds on the fact that these two stars of the early 20th century were part of the same friend group at one point and builds it up into what NPR described as “ Alice in Wonderland meets The Lives of the Poets meets Krazy Kat. ” This week Emmet talks with Ken about the book, the two hist...

Joe Sacco has been covering the Israel-Palestine conflict in varying forms since 1991: first in Palestine , then in Footnotes in Gaza , and most recently in War on Gaza . It’s too much for Kumar and Dana to contain in their heads all at once, both in terms of information and emotion, especially for poor Kumar, who struggles to form complete sentences through the entire episode. And it was a...

FLASHBACK! The 1990s DC series Starman is one of comicdom’s most fondly remembered series. Interestingly, says series author James Robinson , it seems to be more popular now than it was when it was actually in production! James joins Tim and Ryan Haupt this week to look back on various aspects of this iconic series, including the theme of “legacy”, a sneaky crossover with another series, a story a...

Fables of Fear is an anthology horror title by Karl Brandt and David Parsons. Tim and Adam discuss; there are some good short stories here, but maybe they’re a bit … TOO short? Black Plastic , by Josh Tierney and Nicci Busse is, as its writer says, a “karaoke cyber-thriller” graphic novel. That’s his description; Tim and Jason aren’t quite sure what to think of...

FLASHBACK! This week a wide-ranging discussion between two Canadians, Koom and Ian, about comics in Canada. The talk centers on Montreal-based publisher Drawn & Quarterly, and two books from their catalog: Michel Rabagliati’s 2005 book Paul Moves Out , and the latest from Jillian Tamaki, Boundless . Also, some deep background on the history and people behind Toronto comics shop The Beguiling....

FLASHBACK! Skim is a coming-of-age graphic novel written by Mariko Tamaki, and drawn by her cousin Jillian Tamaki . Jillian works primarily in the field of illustration; how does she find that different from drawing a comic? Is it wrong to say that a comic is “illustrated”? She also discusses her perhaps unorthodox collaboration with Mariko on Skim , and reviews of the book that see meanings in it...

This week we look at the movie that was based on the “Galactus Trilogy” of Fantastic Four #48-50,  Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer . How does it stand up against the comics, and against the 2005 film? How do we feel about Galactus being a cloud of smoke? Does Doom finally have a real plan in this one? Once again, Tim is joined by Kumar and Jordan of the Comic Book Movie Obliv...

One of the most famous Fantastic Four stories is the “Galactus Trilogy” from Fantastic Four 48-50 in 1966. This story has been adopted more than once, including in the 1990s FF cartoon, and in 2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer . Leading into our discussion of that movie next week, this week Tim, Kumar, and Jordan, in another crossover with the Comic Book Movie Obli...

When Steve and Sam foil an attempt by police from south of the border to arrest their friendly waiter, the cops decide to arrest Steve instead! Hey, beats heading home empty handed! What looks like it’s going to be a story about Cap (and maybe Falcon?) locked up in a Central American prison takes several odd turns: Cap is never locked up, Sam never even arrives there, and then a fish monster...

In Clyde Fans by Seth , two brothers run a fan company for fifty years. One might expect it to be prosaic, but instead it’s an immersive and epic exploration of the sense and meaning of life, every life, even when it’s not apparent on the surface. Kumar and Dana ask the big questions. Brought to you by: Full Manga Alchemists Our supporters on Patreon

Briana Loewinsohn , who got a lot of praise two years back for her graphic memoir Ephemera , is back with a new book, Raised by Ghosts . It’s a slightly fictionalized look at Briana’s teen years, acting as both a time capsule of late-20th-century teenager culture, and the struggles of being comfortable with oneself that ‘s almost synonymous with the word “teenager.” This week an interview with Bri...

What’s that Kirby Crackle octopus chasing Cap and Falcon ? And didn’t it used to be an oddly muscular, bald (naturally) corpse? It’s Agron , who gives our heroes some headaches in Captain America and the Falcon issues 204 and 205. Not the best Jack Kirby Cap adventure ever, but it produces at least one wildly T-shirt-worthy panel! Tim and Emmet discuss. Brought to you by: The Qua...

The Night People are looking for a superhero. But who are the Night People? Where do they come from? And what does one have to sacrifice to become their superhero? Tim and Emmet discuss Captain America and the Falcon issues 201-203! Brought to you by: Worst Collection Ever podcast Our supporters on Patreon

Michael Cohen has created comics such as Strange Attractors and Tangled River , and is credited with helping to create the first known comic book price guide . He’s also co-host of the Unpacking Peanuts podcast, and his talk with Tim includes discussion of Charles Schulz’s strip, including about the reason why Michael has no interest in Peanuts animation! Brought to you by: Who’s Who podcast Our s...