The Runs Podcast

 The great Whit Taylor (Fizzle, Dead Air, The Nib) returns for part 3 of our read-through of Peter Bagge's Hate, one of the greatest works from the 90's alternative comics era.  As always, we discuss how certain elements have aged, while also appreciating the art and storytelling of this series that was so formative for both of us.  This is the season finale of The Runs Season 3!&nb...

 Sidney Davidson was the colorist on a series I got to illustrate (with writer Mark Russell) called Vanishing Point.  I invited him to be a guest on the show and he suggested The Maxx, which is among the most formative comics of my experience as a reader. I couldn't wait to talk about it with him!  Does it hold up?  How does it read differently as an adult than as an adolescent...

 Mark Ginocchio, co-host of The Amazing Spider-Talk Podcast, returns to The Runs to discuss one that we both really love, Daredevil: Born Again.  Is it the greatest Marvel run of all tine?  Who contributed more, Miller or Mazzucchelli?  Can you appreciate it as much as ever given the stank on Frank Miller's legacy?  What images are on Mark's Mount Rushmore of comics? ...

 I've been trying to get David Walker (Bitter Root, Big Jim and the White Boy, Naomi, Badazz Mofo) on this podcast every season!  Well, it finally happened. I never would have guessed that he'd pick Doug Moench and Paul Gulacy's Master of Kung Fu, but only cause I didn't know anything about those comics.  Having read them now, it's not at all surprising. More James Bond than Enter t...

 Comics superstar Matt Bors (The Nib, The Toxic Avenger) returns to the show to discuss a different run: Grant Morrison's New X-Men.  There's lots to discuss here about how this compares to other runs of X-men, what it means to be a mutant, how the run holds up and, most importantly, how to pronounce "Quitely." Here's a link to The Runs Comics Podcast on iTunes.  And ...

 Jason Levian, owner/curator of Floating World Comics, one of the greatest comic book stores in the history of the universe, returns to the podcast to continue our discussion of Jack Kirby's Fourth World, one of the most brilliant and bizarre comics epics in the history of the universe.  Does it make more sense the more you read it? Does it matter?  Here's a link to The Ru...

 My Mom always read comics.  For about as long as I can remember, Alison Bechdel's Dykes to Watch Out For collections were in our house.  As I've been talking with folks about runs of comics, I thought it might be interesting to have my mom on the show to talk about Dykes to Watch Out For comics and how they've impacted both of our lives. Here's a link to The Runs Comics P...

 R Crumb founded Zap comix in 1968 and it went on to inspire generations of cartoonists. Among them is the great Bob Fingerman (Minimum Wage, Printopia), who comes by to talk about the series and how it's impacted him and cartoonists that came before and after him.  Here's a link to The Runs Comics Podcast on iTunes.  And here's the link to the show on Spotify. Be sur...

 One of comics greatest historians, Douglas Wolk, comes by to discuss an Alan Moore deep-cut. This run is a buried treasure from 2000 AD, featuring a creative powerhouse pair in their early days.  I for one was very interested to hear what Douglas Wolk had to say about it, and to read it for the first time myself.   Here's a link to The Runs Comics Podcast on iTunes. ...

 Break out your pee jar, because this is a long one.  Superstar cartoonist Keith Knight (the K Chronicles, Woke) comes by to talk about the first 6 issues of Joe Matt's Peepshow.  Lots of discussion about jerking off, being cheap, and for some reason, The Wire.  Here's a link to The Runs Comics Podcast on iTunes.  And here's the link to the show on Spotify....

 Poet, educator, and the show runner of the Ironheart TV series, Chinaka Hodge, comes by to talk about Eve Ewing's initial run of Ironheart comics.  How do comics relate to TV?  How did the comics influence the show? When do you know you've made it? And was I cool in high school?  All will be discussed this episode. Here's a link to The Runs Comics Podcast on iTunes.&...

Season 3 begins with the continuation on my discussion of John Byrne's Fantastic Four run with my ol' buddy Alex Robinson.  Take a long trip with us the Negative Zone.  Why?  Well, it's not really clear, honestly...  But anyway, we had a real good time discussing this classic FF run and I sure hope you enjoy listening to it! Here's a link to The Runs Comics Podcast on...

Hello, it's been a while!  Season 3 is finally here! Here's a brief introductory how-do-you-do, heads up episode!  I think this Season is going to be a really good one, and hopefully worth the wait!  Let's take a few minutes to catch up and prepare ourselves for weekly episodes again!  Can't wait to share these discussions with y'all!  Here's a link to The Runs C...

 The Runs Podcast Season 2 Finale!  We're closing out strong, with another deep dive into Peter Bagge's Indy comics canonical series, Hate, with Whit Taylor (Fizzle, Dead Air, The Nib), who is one of my very favorite people to dish comics with.  We get into the nuts and bolts of this series, which really arrives at its fully-formed self in these issues.  Great character develop...

 Nth Man: The Ultimate Ninja is a series that I never gave a chance as a kid, and it would have stayed that way if Zack Soto (The Secret Voice, Power Button. Study Group) hadn't chosen it for this episode.  This series is an early 90's deep cut, featuring World War 3, a Stevan Seagal-esque American Ninja, and some rather overt parallels to Akira. Was I pleasantly surprised, or is this an...

 This episode isn't sponsored by Hot Topic, but it might as well be.  Brilliant cartoonist Julia Gfrörer (Laid Waste, Black is the Color) comes by to talk about a formative run for her, Jhonon Vasquez's tremendously popular goth comic, Squee.  If you don't like the episodes where I talk about how crappy I think the run is, you should probably skip this one.  Otherwise, put on y...

 It was not my intention for this podcast to be so focused on 70's Kirby, but I can't say I mind it, either.  Jason Levian, owner of Floating World Comics, sits down with me to talk about the first few issues of each of the four series that form the Fourth World, an ahead-of-it-time epic by one of comics all-time great storytellers. It exists at the epicenter of genius and madness, and y...

 I met Ben Dewey (Autumnlands, Beasts of Burden, Namor, Vampirella, The Tragedy Series, etc. etc.) about 20 years ago when we worked together on a Roller Derby comic.  He's been one of those guys in comics that I'm always happy to chat with when I get a chance ever since.  He picked Dan Slott and Mike Allred's Silver Surfer run to discuss.  Mike Allred is one of the greats and...

 Mark Ginocchio, co-host of the Amazing Spider-Talk Podcast, comes by this week to talk about... Spider-Man.  But not just any Spider-Man! This is one of the most divisive runs in Spider-Man History, as evidenced by Mark declaring that it's the run that made him a Spider-Man lifer and me dumping all over it.  In a very unintuitive-for-the-internet approach, things never get heated,...

 This week's guest is comics educator Ronell Whitaker, who chose Icon as the run to discuss.  Icon was the flagship title of the Milestone line, which may have been the only new comics universe worth following of all the many that launched in the early 90's.  Ronell is the first guest that I'd never spoken with before recording but I found him to be very interesting and easy to talk...

 This week's guest recently won the DuPont Columbia University Award for audio and visual journalism for his podcast, Mother Country Radicals, and now he's here to talk with me about The Mutant Massacre.  Zayd Dohrn is an accomplishment playwright, film and tv writer, and a low key comic book nerd.  This episode marks the first time that a crossover event is discussed instead of a s...

 Up-and-coming comics superstar Xena Lopez comes on the show this week to talk about a series I'd never heard of, Pink by Kyoko Okazaki.  We talk about manga, memoir, sex work and working at the library.   Here's a link to The Runs Comics Podcast on iTunes.  And here's the link to the show on Spotify. Be sure to subscribe, rate and review! And here's a...

 One of the greatest living cartoonists, Peter Bagge (Hate, Yeah!, Weirdo) comes on the show this week to talk about an early run by another one of the greatest living cartoonists, Dan Clowes.  This is one of those episodes where I couldn't really believe that I got to have this conversation.  Listen in to learn how one all-time-great cartoonist's work inspired another all-time-grea...

 In this episode, comics hall-of-famer Diana Schutz comes by to talk about quintessential 70's Marvel series Howard the Duck.  Did you have to be there at the time?  Or do you at least have to be high to enjoy this run?  Either way, I'm sure you'll enjoy this trip down memory lane with one of comics most important editorial voices. Here's a link to The Runs Comics Pod...

 In the premier episode of Season 2, Alex Robinson (Box Office Poison, Star Wars Minute) returns to continue our deep dive into John Byrne's legendary Fantastic Four run.  Does it hold up?  How is it if you've never read it before.  It's got Galactus in it... isn't that enough?  Listen and find out! Here's a link to The Runs Comics Podcast on iTunes.  And&nb...