The TradeWaiters

It’s finally time for the third and fourth volumes of "Death Note" by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata! We finally get to see Light and L become the best of fake friends, and we get to meet Misa, the third pillar of our triumvirate of sociopathic twenty-year-olds. Join Jam, JD, and Jeff as we also discuss social masking, “yes, and” writing, and how much worse having a death note would be once Facebo...

For today’s episode we read "Paying the Land," comics journalist Joe Sacco’s book about the Dene people, resource extraction in the Northwest Territories, the legacy of Canadian colonialism, and residential schools. It’s a big book with a lot to say on some weighty issues, but we also find time to discuss journalism as an institution, the convenient “boringness” of Canadian history, and even cotta...

The TradeWaiters are joined by Hannah Myers to read volume one of "The Golden Age" by Roxanne Moreil and Cyril Pedrosa. This medieval adventure from France isn’t all that it seems. We talk about colour, innovating ways to show motion through time, our favourite absent meals, and why you should support your local peasant revolt. Music by Sleuth. Our next episode will be on "Paying the Land" by Joe...

For today’s episode Jam, Jeff, and JD read "The Magic Fish" by Trung Le Nguyen, a story about love, growing up, immigration, and identity framed by three fairy tales. This is a work with a lot of depth and a lot of heart, and we hope you’ll enjoy it as much as we have. Along the way we’ll also discuss cats, telling stories through colour, and being LGBTQ in school. Music by Sleuth. Our next episod...

It’s time to jump back to the early 2000s. We read the first two volumes of Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata’s "Death Note" and can let you in on the gritty details. Listen in and you can also hear about Sherlock Holmes’ descendants, the importance of having the right stationary, and the indelicate details of the Japanese legal system. Music by Sleuth. Our next episode will be on "The Magic Fish" by...

Wizz! Bang! Pow! This comic is definitely not for kids. No seriously, skip this episode if you do not want “adult” content. This is "Sex Criminals" by Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky, the comic that asks the question, what would you do if could stop time when you orgasm? What would make you want to rob a bank? What would you do if the sex police caught on to your naked shenanigans? You know, the re...

Special guest Kathleen Jacques joins Jeff, Jam, and JD for a spooky read-through of Emily Carroll’s breakout short story collection "Through the Woods." Emily is a master of the medium, and her book sparks conversations about how to do horror in the comics medium, web versus print comics, fairy tales, picture books, and more. Music by Sleuth. Our next episode will be on "Sex Criminals" Vol. 1 & 2...

The TradeWaiters are back from another (probably pandemic-related) hiatus. For this episode, Jam, Jeff, and JD read "Meal" by Blue Delliquanti with Soleil Ho. Have you ever eaten a bug? Like, on purpose? Would you like to? "Meal" is more than just a great case for entomophagy (i.e. bug eating), cuisine with deep cultural roots in many parts of the world. It’s also a great story. It might even be t...

This week, or maybe six weeks ago, we read the "Slaughterhouse-Five" graphic novel adaptation by Kurt Vonnegut, Ryan North, and Albert Monteys. This may be the perfect book to read during a pandemic when time seems unstuck. But never mind the sales-pitch, because if you listen to this episode you’ve always listened to this episode. Detours include the firebombing of Dresden, what a Trafalmadorian...

It’s been too long since we last read a book by Mariko Tamaki, so join Jeff, Jam, and JD for "Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me" by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O’Connell. It’s a high school drama about the multiple endings of a romance, as well as friendship, queerness, and life in general. You won’t be disappointed (except in Laura Dean). Music by Sleuth Our next episode will be on "Slau...

In today’s episode Jeff, Jam, and Jon jump back into the epic world of Landfall and Reef with "Saga" volumes 2 & 3 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples. We go looking for themes, talk about writers writing writers, and learn more about the many characters the story boasts. Music by Sleuth Our next episode will be on "Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me" by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O’Con...

The wait is over! TradeWaiters Jon, Jeff, and Jam are back with a two-parter on "Saga" by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Stapes. This episode will cover Volume 1 (which is the first six chapters). Listen in as we revisit a tale as old as time, about a horned prisoner of war from a planet of magic and a winged soldier from a vast space empire falling in love over a trashy romance novel. Music by Sleuth...

We recorded this episode only a few months ago, and yet anything before quarantine began feels like a lifetime ago. Anyways, this is "Drifting Dragons" volumes 1 and 2 by Taku Kuwabara. Faith Erin Hicks joins us again for a deep dive into a manga about hunting, killing, and eating dragons. We also get lost on detours about analogy, cartoonist envy, and what it means to be famous in comics. Music b...

VanCAF 2020 was held online, due to the world being in its current state, and so the TradeWaiters panel we pitched them became an online event as well. I present to you "Reading Deeply," on how to get the most out of your comics reading experience. The audio quality on this one isn't great, sorry. Some of us (me) didn't think to get high quality microphones before a pandemic made new cameras and m...

Have you ever wondered how to eat a suit of armour? Special guest Faith Erin Hicks joins Jam, Jeff, and Jon to find out as we read the first two volumes of "Delicious in Dungeon" by Ryoko Kui. This cross-genre comedy adventure about eating all the monsters in a fantasy campaign dungeon will give you answers to questions you didn’t even know you had. Music by Sleuth. Faith will join us again for ou...

Some might call him a murderer. Some might call him Germany’s greatest doctor. Some might call him a manga “Littlest Hobo.” Doctor Temna returns for Volume 2 of Naoki Urasawa’s "Monster," and so do TradeWaiters Jam, Jon, and special guest Nina Matsumoto. Join us as we continue our deep dive into one of the greatest comics series of all time. Music by Sleuth. Our next episode we’ll be joined by spe...

What’s in a name? Does a name really matter? The book we read this episode is named “Monster” by Naoki Urasawa. Nina Matsumoto (if that’s her real name) joins Jam and Jon to talk about the first volume of this series from Japan’s master of suspense, and we get into deep discussions about good and evil, identity, choice, and whether or not comics characters should have their mouths open when they t...

Renowned horror cartoonist Junji Ito has a cat life now. His auto-bio graphic novel "Junji Ito’s Cat Diary: Yon & Mu" is this episode’s book, and Jam, Jon, and Jeff are joined by Nina Matsumoto to talk about the book, the artist, and what it’s like to live with cats. Music by Sleuth Nina joins us again for our next episode on "Monster" Vol. 1 by Naoki Urasawa.

Spirals: they make ya think! Nina Matsumoto joins Jam, Jeff, and Jon for a spiral into the mind of Junji Ito, reknowned horror cartoonist. His "Uzumaki (Spiral into Horror)" is an obsessive, surreal story about a town cursed by the spiral. We’ll dive right in, get tangled up, and hopefully make it out again at the end. Music by Sleuth. Nina joins us again for our next episode on "Junji Ito’s Cat D...

We continue our journey through Jason Lutes’ "Berlin: City of Smoke" and "Berlin: City of Light." Now that the series is complete, our panelists have read all the way to the bitter end. There is no other way for the Weimar Republic to end. Join us as we check in on how the characters from the first book have fared as we head towards Hitler’s “demon ex machina.” Music by Sleuth. For our next episod...

Looking for advice on how to survive 2019? "Berlin: City of Stones" by Jason Lutes may or may not be of any help, but it is a standout work of comics-making brilliance. Jeff, Jam, and Jon travel back in time to Jason Lutes’ window on Weimar Germany in 1928 and watch as everything starts to fall apart. This is episode one of a two episode journey through the "Berlin" comics series. Music by Sleuth...

It's Twenty-Nine-Zine! The TradeWaiters went to a bunch of Canadian conventions this year and brought back their favourite indie gems to share. In this episode we talk about: "Doors" by the Donut Collective "Giant's Well" by Scott A. Ford "When I Arrived at the Castle" by Emily Carroll "Conseal Don't Feel" by Ciil "Counting Sheep" by Rhael McGregor "Sobek" by James Stokoe "Hey, I Don't Mean to Be...

There’s soil and gloom in the black death. Jess, Jon, Jeff, and Jam read "Laid Waste" by Julia Gfrorer, a tragedy set during the plague. We talk about the end of the world and what it’s like to live through it (or not). Music by Sleuth. Our next episode will be our 2019 TCAF/VanCAF roundtable.

Join us on a road trip (through masculinity). "Come Prima" by Alfred is a story about two estranged brothers dealing with death, war, shame, and their own frailty. Jam, Jeff, and Jess finally get a chance to read some more bande dessinee, and it leads to a whole lot of big discussions. Music by Sleuth. Our next episode will be "Laid Waste" by Julia Gfrorer.

Is Calvin a reflection on the inner child? This is one of many questions raised as we read "The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book" by Bill Watterson. Calvin and Hobbes are a big part of comics past and present. We reflect on the nostalgia, the history, and the craft of one of the greatest newspaper comics of all times. Music by Sleuth. Our next episode will be on "Come Prima" by Alfred.