Deconstructing Comics

Jack Kirby’s 1970s Black Panther series started out kind of strange, with King T’Challa wandering far from his kingdom for no apparent reason, but the latter part of the series has pleasantly surprised us. Even the goofy Panther relatives Kirby introduced have turned out to be delightful. Just when we really want more, we reach the end of his run as he prepares to leave Marvel for good. So this time Emmet and I are savoring the last two issues, numbers 11 and 12! Brought to you by: Who’s Who podcast Our supporters on Patreon

Derf Backderf’s latest book is The Dissidents, focusing on a group of political cartoonists in the late 1910s who did powerful political cartoons in a hair-raisingly horrible period in American history: World War I, anti-war protest made illegal, massacres of American blacks (encouraged by the president, no less), torture in American prisons and more. Tim and Kumar discuss. Brought to you by: Full Manga Alchemists Our supporters on Patreon

If you think you’ve read a book like As I Dream of You before, you’re probably wrong. Yes, it’s about a romance between two teenagers, and yes, it turns tragic, but it’s the way the story is told that sets it apart, intentionally misleading you in several ways that give it heft and make rereads obligatory, just to absorb everything the book is doing. The story is by Jennifer Lee, writer and director of Frozen and other animated films; the artist is LeUyen Pham, who comes from the world of children’s book illustration but has honed her comics storytelling chops quite well. This week she talks with Tim about how those two disciplines differ, working with Jennifer Lee, inspiration from Craig Thompson and Marjane Satrapi, the meaning in this book’s coloring, and more. Brought to you by: TV Tangents podcast Our supporters on Patreon

Well, it was probably inevitable: we were sent a comic made with A.I. The human creator cops to using it for the art, but the story also as an A.I. feel. Is it any good? Is it ethical to present it as “art”? Tim and Adam discuss. Brought to you by: Checkered Past podcast Our supporters on Patreon

This time we’re rejoined by Adam Tierney, writer of Romeo and Juliet and Godzilla, as well as Italian artist Saspy. From opposite sides of the planet, they’ve collaborated on a new comedy/horror/YA graphic novel from IDW, 13 Demons Dead. Meanwhile, Koom has been at Fan Expo Canada. He’s done a brief interview with John Rhys-Davies (Gimli in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and Sallah in the Indiana Jones series) and a longer talk with Captain Canuck co-creator Richard Comely. Is there a connection between Captain Canuck and Captain Canada? (Which Captain Canada?) He talks about how he’s increasingly used the character to make a political statement, and more. Brought to you by: Worst Collection Ever podcast Our supporters on Patreon