Quarantined Comics

In memory of the recently passed Marjane Satrapi (1969-2026), re-airring our chat about Persepolis from July 2024) Rest In Peace/Power. https://www.npr.org/2026/06/04/nx-s1-5846531/marjane-satrapi-obituary “The normalization of things being taken away. You see all the things going on in Tehran in 1979 — you see them here as well, which makes it a sad, scary, and timeless tale.” PERSEPOLIS, by Marj...

“We need some sort of framework to say what is okay and what is not okay — and we need to revisit this when the technology changes..” The more we read, the clearer it gets — it’s just another AI-pocalypse in the making. First its replacing the means of production, then its hallucinations no one can explain. People keep saying we’ll get it under control… but we all know how that story ends. Inevita...

“Translation — it's listening and understanding. It's trying to understand each other, trying to find some common ground, but understanding that there is a gap and that's okay, because we're all different.” There’s this really good book about a kid in England who gets into an elite school to learn the magic that can literally change the world. There’s friendship, betrayal, enchante...

 ​“What's funny is, people are talking about these movies being woke, but it's literally just what superheroes are supposed to be about — kindness, empathy, and protecting people that can't be protected. ” “These are times where we are told that you can't afford to look out for more than yourself — And to stand amidst that — to care about somebody even if it doesn't have some immediate benefit to...

Merry ComiXmas! Week 10: KINGDOM COME "In a darkened future, ideals collide, Superman’s hope meets Batman’s dark pride. With legacy at stake, they clash in the night, Old heroes struggle, wrongs turned to right— In Kingdom Come, by Waid and Ross, they confide." " This holiday season, we're airing our 10 COMICS OF XMAS - an excuse to recommend and replay some our fav books that make a thoughtful gi...

Merry ComiXmas! Week 9: THE FLINTSTONES "In Bedrock’s world, where stones are the trend, Fred and Barney, with laughter, defend. Mark Russell’s wit on capitalism bites, As they juggle brontosaurus burgers and fights— Who knew cavemen could critique our spend?" This holiday season, we're airing our 10 COMICS OF XMAS - an excuse to recommend and replay some our fav books that make a thoughtful gift...

Merry ComiXmas! Week 8: MARVELS "Through Phil Sheldon’s eyes, the heroes rise, In Alex Ross’s art, their strength amplifies. From awe to doubt, his views shift and sway, Finding the heart in the masks they display— In Marvels, he learns there’s more to the prize." This holiday season, we're airing our 10 COMICS OF XMAS - an excuse to recommend and replay some our fav books that make a thoughtful g...

Merry ComiXmas Week 7: THE SECRET TO SUPERHUMAN STRENGTH "In search of strength, I train and flex, While dodging yoga mats and life's complex. With weights and wisdom, I struggle and play, Finding power in running from snacks every day— In The Secret to Superhuman Strength, Bechdel’s life perplex! This holiday season, we're airing our 10 COMICS OF XMAS - an excuse to recommend and replay some our...

Merry ComiXmas Week 6: USAGI YOJIMBO "In a land of honor, a brave samurai, A bunny named Usagi, quick on the sly. With sword in paw, he’s ready for fun, Battling through mischief, no murder on the run— Just a friendly hero, making foes sigh!" This holiday season, we're airing our 10 COMICS OF XMAS - an excuse to recommend and replay some our fav books that make a thoughtful gift for your loved one...

Merry ComiXmas Week 5: SUPERGIRL: WOMAN OF TOMORROW "Amidst a cosmic quest for justice and grace, Supergirl and Ruthie ride on a space horse through space. With a planet destroyed and vengeance in tow, They confront dark foes, letting courage glow— Through battles and trials, new lessons embrace!" This holiday season, we're airing our 10 COMICS OF XMAS - an excuse to recommend and replay some our...

Merry ComiXmas Week 4: PAPER GIRLS "Paper girls racing through a neon-lit haze, Bikes clash with time in a wild, twisting maze. With aliens blasting and shadows that creep, They battle through chaos, their secrets to keep— In a trippy adventure where dreams set ablaze!" This holiday season, we're airing our 10 COMICS OF XMAS - an excuse to recommend and replay some our fav books that make a though...

Merry ComiXmas Week 3: ESTHER'S NOTEBOOKS "In Esther’s life, each day’s a show, Riad’s keen eye captures all her woe. From playground drama to lunchroom fights, He writes down her quirks, her dreams, her delights— A glimpse of growing up, with all its wobbly flow! This holiday season, we're airing our 10 COMICS OF XMAS - an excuse to recommend and replay some our fav books that make a thoughtful g...

It's the morning after, I’ll leave some fresh comments at the top of the episode. It was crushingly hard to tell my daughter before she went off to school. We're probably all asking ourselves, how did we get here?  So easier to just re-air this Quarantined Comics episode from August 2022 about the vibrant and harrowing graphic novel Berlin, by Jason Lutes, which I've actually referenced in many co...

Merry ComiXmas Week 2: NOT ALL ROBOTS "In a world where bots do all the grind, Humans lounge, completely blind. 'Hey, we’re not useless!' they all proclaim, While robots roll their eyes in shame— 'Good luck, meatbags; we’re done being kind!' " This holiday season, we're airing our 10 COMICS OF XMAS - an excuse to recommend and replay some our fav books that make a thoughtful gift for your loved on...

Merry ComiXmas Week 1: ON A SUNBEAM "In space where love’s a cosmic mess, Mia’s heart’s in total distress. She’s fixing ships and dodging tears, While reminiscing ’bout her crush for years, Just hoping her love life’s not a game of chess! This holiday season, we're airing our 10 COMICS OF XMAS - an excuse to recommend and replay some our fav books that make a thoughtful gift for your loved ones (o...

way back when, on October 10, 2022, Ryan made Raman re-read Alan Moore's seminal run on Swamp Thing, which Ryan then forgot to edit and release. hey, life got busy! Lasting from issues 20–64 between 1984–1987, Moore's series completely reshaped the character of the Swamp Thing. In an effort to feed the sweet sweet podcast content machine, here's the long lost episode, exactly two years...

So this is the second episode paying tribute to the late great John Cassaday, the award winning comics artist, best known for his co-creation of Planetary, which we revisited last week John Cassaday passed away far too soon at the age of 52 on September 9, 2024 in New York City. Be sure to check out last week's replay of our episode of his work on Planetary - and of course, go pick up a copy -...

A few weeks ago, we lost a great comics artist far too soon. John Cassaday was an award-winning American comic book artist, writer, and television director - who passed away on September 9, 2024 in New York City at the age of 52 i think it goes without saying that comics is a medium where great writing and art come together for a truly great medium of storytelling. and when both are firing on all...

BURMA CHRONICLES is the 2007 graphic travelogue by French-Canadian cartoonist Guy Delisle — which presents a personal and distinctively humorous glimpse into a political hotspot on the other side of the world, where the Delisle balances his ex-pat home-husbandry, the spinning politics a quasi-authoritarian state, and finding a way as a foreign cartoonist amidst a South Asian junta (gesuhndeit). jo...

"The idea that a person can't relate to something because it's not directly about them is a misunderstanding of who's been reading books this whole time." Mariko Tamaki is an award-winning Canadian comics creator and writer — known for works like Skim and This One Summer (with her cousin Jillian Tamaki). Her latest novel is Cold, a haunting YA novel about four students who kn...

In honor of ROAMING sweeping this year's EISNER's, we're revisiting this previous episode about a GREAT work ROAMING is the graphic novel winner of three 2024 EISNER awards for best graphic novel, best writer, and best penciller/inker - by cousins Mariko + Jillian Tamaki. It's a book about three young women touring New York City in the late aughts, and it's both a love letter t...

During a worldwide Quarantined Comics and Rabbit Fighters podcast REVOLUTION, Raman + Josh (two non-Persian dudes doing a Persian protagonist podcat) got the ORIGINAL band back together to talk about a comic that somehow NEITHER of us had read before, PERSEPOLIS, by Marjane Satrapi, an award winning, now banned graphic autobiography from the early 2000s about a young girl growing up in Iran, and b...

“What happens after we've survived? What's our responsibility to somebody suffering more than I am? For kids it’s like, ‘Let's just go over and help them — like, why wouldn't we?’ “ = With summer here, and QC still on hiatus while Raman + Ryan tend to their day-jobs, we wanted to feature a chat from Raman's OTHER podcast MODERN MINORITIES - featuring conversations with authors...

”Being a writer is just bloody hard work and passion. It is a kind of madness, which compels you every day to go to say, ‘OK, let's do it again today’ “ = With summer here, and QC still on hiatus while Raman + Ryan tend to their day-jobs, we wanted to feature a chat from Raman's OTHER podcast MODERN MINORITIES - featuring conversations with authors of historical fiction NOVELS about the 19...

Raman joins longtime friend of the pod Josh (whose past episodes include Dune, Black Science, and Red Son) on HIS podcast RABBIT FIGHTERS. The topic? their long, complicated relationship with the band WEEZER - alongside fellow Rabbit fighters Greg and Brian. Rabbit Fighters is a show where three friends revisit the movies and music that shaped their past - but one of them has never explored it. so...