Graphic Policy Radio

Bambadjan Bamba is an actor and filmmaker who immigrated from the Ivory Coast with his family fleeing political persecution in 1992. Bambadjan made it through drama school and is now a series regular on NBC's The Good Place and will be seen in what is sure be a blockbuster, Black Panther, the next Marvel film. Bamba qualified for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) but his immigration st...

Learn everything you ever wanted to know about the history of the business of Marvel Comics! Today we’re interviewing author Sean Howe, author of Marvel Comics the Untold Story. “In the early 1960s, Marvel Comics introduced a series of bright-costumed superhero characters—including Iron Man, the Hulk, Thor, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, Daredevil, and the Amazing Spider-Man—that would evolve into...

Harassment is a long standing crisis in the comics industry -- and despite brave voices speaking out, rarely have harassers suffered any consequences. Mainstream reporting on the open secret of sexual harasser Eddie Berganza has finally lead to his firing and now more stories of harassment are coming to light. We think it's time to talk to a lawyer-- an employee rights attorney. We'll not only be...

Star Trek Discovery has wrapped up the first half of its first season and we're diving in to discuss the controversial addition to the Star Trek universe. What did that cliffhanger mean? Is the show too dark? What's it saying about the state of the world? And why isn't this on television!? We're talking all of that and more when we're joined by guest Sarah Rasher. Sarah Rasher began their Starflee...

Graphic Policy Radio heads to the movies to discuss the latest entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor: Ragnarok! The film is dominating the box office with it's action, visuals, and humor, but beneath it all is a film that has very interesting things to say about such issues as colonialism and refugees. We'll talk about and of course its Jack Kirby inspired aesthetics with guest Brandon Da...

High-achieving college student Renee gets bitten by a werewolf, and things take a turn for the weird. She ends up with the Moonlighters: Monster Helpers for hire! Made up of Meg (Were-Huskie), Sue (Were-Akita), and Felipe (Were-Corgi), they have to take supernatural odd-jobs to pay for textbooks, ramen, and *gulp* rent! (Please hire them). Written by Katie Schenkel with art by Cal Moray, and publi...

What if the Suicide Squad was an art comic? That's one of the best ways to describe Michel Fiffe's Copra, one of the best superhero comics being published today. On this brand new episode of Graphic Policy Radio we'll be talking to Fiffe about the series and his success in independent publishing. Michel Fiffe is the creator of two critically acclaimed titles: the action series Copra published by B...

Official Fall ritual: rewatching the award winning animated special Over the Garden Wall. And now you can do it with the experts. Dark Horse has released a book: The Art of Over The Garden Wall. The book is a complete tour through the development and production of the animated masterpiece, containing hundreds of pieces of concept art and sketches, and a comprehensive look at the show’s breathtakin...

Graphic Policy Radio is back to discuss all the latest comic news! It's been a bit since both Brett and Elana have been on the show together and they're catching up on New York Comic Con and more. Expect discussion about Marvel and Northrop Grumman, NYCC, the latest comic news, and so much more in a potluck episode that'll take you through a whirlwind of geekdome. We want to hear from you too! Twe...

The Defenders was supposed to be Marvel and Netflix's biggest hit yet: a team up series bringing togehter Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist. But the results have been divisive: some fans hate it, some found it fun. Find out where our comics reading film critics fall in that debate and what we'd like to see more of from Marvel Netflix. Host Elana Levin (@elana_brooklyn on twitter)...

Mine! is a comic collection that celebrates the amazing work of Planned Parenthood and personal empowerment. It includes stories about healthcare, personal experiences and empowerment, done in genres as historical, dramas, science fiction, fantasy, superhero, and satirical stories. Joining Graphic Policy Radio are Molly Jackson and Joseph Corallo to talk about this Kickstater project, one you shou...

Written by David Walker and Dr. Sheena C. HowardSuperb follows teenager Kayla Tate who is forced to move back to her hometown of Youngstown, Ohio where the mysterious superhero “Cosmosis” battles the supposedly-benevolent corporation Foresight. What makes the series unique is that the superhero, Jonah, has Down Syndrome and publisher Lion Forge is working with the National Down Syndrome Society on...

Editors Julia Gfrörer & Sean T. Collins have amassed some of the darkest talents within as well as outside of comics to create a wholly singular reading and visual experience. From masters of horror like Clive Barker to leading figures in altcomics such as Simon Hanselmann, this collection — focused on the intermingled themes of horror, ography, the Gothic, and the abject —Mirror Mirror II tra...

We're talking with Rebecca "Rae" Epstein about her promising debut graphic novel Gently Murder Me. It's a diary comic about the inability to connect with the person one most wants to connect with in the modern, technology-filled world. Writer Rebecca Epstein’s words are enhanced by Kathryn Briggs’, Blakely Inberg’s, Edgar Vega’s, and Mary Safro’s varied and equally skilled styles in the first four...

Graphic Policy discusses Spider-Man: Homecoming with two perfect experts for the job: Brandon Wilson and the Blerdgurl Karama Horne!  Brandon Wilson is a Los Angeles-based filmmaker and educator. He's been a classroom teacher since 2005. He has directed numerous short films and two feature films, most recently "Sepulveda" http://www.sepulvedathemovie.com  which he co-directed with his wife Jena En...

As the Crow Flies is a story about Charlie — a queer 13 year old girl who finds herself stranded in a dangerous place: an all-white Christian youth backpacking camp.  It has been nominated for the Slate Cartoonist Studio Prize (2013), an Eisner Award (2014), and an Ignatz (2016), and won a Gold Medal from the Society of Illustrators (2016). Creator Melanie Gillman joins graphic Policy Radio to dis...

Celebrity-socialite Reno Selleti doesn’t believe in very much beyond Instagram comments, hipster drugs, and the flash of paparazzi cameras, so when a friend invites her to an EYES WIDE SHUT-type party she goes along mostly for the lulz. But the joke doesn’t feel as funny when she realizes it’s an actual occult ritual, and suddenly she’s seeing things… horrifying apparitions trying to warn her. “RU...

June is Pride Month so we're talking with some of our favorite LGBTQ comics critics about the current state of LGBTQ people in comics: on and off the page. Our guests: Desiree Rodriguez is a columnist and Editorial Assistant for Lion Forge Comics’ Catalyst Prime. Desiree also writes for The Nerds of Color and Women Write About Comics @boricuadesiree) Logan Dalton writes about comics and TV shows f...

The Wonder Woman movie smashed expectations to become a huge hit. Graphic Policy discusses the blockbuster including it's portrayal of sexuality, race, world history and badass swords. Our guests: Keidra Chaney is the co-founder and publisher of The Learned Fangirl a website that amplifies marginalized voices in media criticism and fandom scholarship. Keidra is currently a strategist for the Cultu...

Have you ever wondered what a comic colorist does? We find out that and more with guest Tamra Bonvillain, one of the hardest woking people in comics. The focus when it comes to comics is often on the writers and pencilers, but there's so many more hard working people that work to bring us the entertainment we love. We'll find out about being a colorist in the comic industry as Bonvillain joins hos...

"Diversity" has turned into a marketing buzzword in comics and few deliver that behind and on the page. Lion Forge Comics' new Catalyst Prime universe of comics is actually delivering that in every sense with new characters we've never seen and a group of creators who bring varied perspectives to the page. Talking about this exciting new universe are guests Christopher Priest, Joe Illidge, and Des...

Graphic Policy Radio is joined by filmmaker Brandon Wilson to discuss Guardians of The Galaxy, Vol 2, Marvel's latest box office hit. Brandon Wilson is a filmmaker and teacher. Born and raised in Los Angeles, he attended UCLA where he took a B.A. in African-American Studies and an M.F.A. from the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television. Wilson has made several short films and written numerous...

Mary Posa hates her job. She works long hours for little pay, no insurance, and worst of all, no respect. Her co-workers are jerks and her boss doesn't appreciate her. He's also a supervillain. And her parents... well, they're the most famous superhero couple in Crepe City, along with her sister. Cursed with a conscience, Mary would give anything to be something other than a Henchgirl, but no matt...

This past week the first issue of Marvel's Secret Empire was released bringing together a year of build up revolving around Captain America actually being an agent of Hydra. On this episode of Graphic Policy Radio, we discuss the history of Captain America, the connection between Hydra and Nazism and what this comic storyline all means in the age of Trump. Joining hosts Elana and Brett are Steven...

Legion is the latest comic book character to come to television. The first season introduced David Haller, the powerful mutant who may or may not be schizophrenic. The series recently wrapped up its eight-episode first season not just delivering trippy visuals but an intriguing story that weaved in elements of the comic series and classic character. Guest Leonardo Faierman is joining Graphic Polic...