Deconstructing Comics

FLASHBACK! In the world of corporate comics, creators are challenged to put together a run on a given book that will stand out against everything that’s come before in that book, and leave a mark on the series that will last well beyond their run. Grant Morrison’s New X-Men run, from 2001 to 2004, met that challenge. Characters and situations set up by Morrison have endured in the years since, including Fantomex, the Stepford Cuckoos, and Scott Summers’ relationship with Emma Frost. Morrison had a good handle on all the characters, old and new, and introduced the new ones in a way that made us care about them, something that certain comics writers have failed to do. Of course, it’s not perfect. The X-men going public seemed to be the biggest event of the run — somehow overshadowing the slaughter of six million mutants on Genosha. The art was inconsistent — great when Frank Quitely was on it, but questionable some other times. This week Tim and Kumar examine Morrison’s run, particularly the initial “Cassandra Nova” arc. (Originally published August 25, 2014.) Brought to you by: TV Tangents podcast Face the Music ELO podcast Our supporters on Patreon

Achille & Kipi: The Disconnected is an Italian comic meant to raise issues about modern life and technology. In this episode, Tim and Jason take a stab at critiquing it, but the teaser we received doesn’t give us the clearest idea of where this story is heading. So Tim also talks with co-creator Renato Franchi to get the scoop. Renato also tells us a bit about the Italian comics industry and why so many current Marvel artists are Italian. Brought to you by: Checkered Past podcast Our supporters on Patreon

Jack Kirby left Marvel with one issue of his Kiber storyline left to go. We don’t know if he left notes on what was to happen, but in Black Panther #13, Jim Shooter and Ed Hannigan presented a competent but comparatively wordy conclusion to the story. Then, while Kirby’s ’70s Marvel work kept the rest of the publisher’s universe at Mr.-Fantastic-arm’s length, in the final two issues, Hannigan abruptly snaps us back to typical ’70s-’80s Marvel storytelling, with T’Challa’s Avengers membership front and center. Tim and Emmet discuss the last throes of this Black Panther title, with the next one still twenty years away. Brought to you by: Dimension X Our supporters on Patreon

FLASHBACK! Michael Kupperman’s Tales Designed to Thrizzle and Lisa Hanawalt’s My Dirty Dumb Eyes are two books exhibiting bizarre humor and pointed takes on modern life. Tim, Kumar, and Tom Spurgeon discuss. (Originally published October 20, 2014.) Bojack Horseman trailer Brought to you by: Worst Collection Ever podcast Our supporters on Patreon

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to go to medical school, take apart cadavers, take exhaustive exams over anatomy, illnesses, and treatments, then become a resident and work 30-hour shifts? Would you still have the passion to become a doctor after all that? This week, Emmet and I discuss the forthcoming book The Human Remains by Dr. Nathan Gray, which explores those questions. Brought to you by: Doomspeak podcast Our supporters on Patreon  

FLASHBACK! Kumar and Dana discuss Logan in what was, at the time, the first DCP movie review since Iron Man 2! Is Logan an action movie? The action scenes are limited, but when they occur, there are no limits. (Originally published June 19, 2017.) Brought to you by: Waxy Buildup podcast Our supporters on Patreon

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