Posted on
June 17th, 2013 by
TimDC
Jim Woodring doing kids’ books!? That was apparently the thought behind Trosper, a 2001 release from Woodring that came with a Southwest Asia-influenced music CD by Bill Frisell. A baby elephant-like creature runs from things that go bump in the night. Maurice Sendak would be proud. Going further back, Daniel Clowes’ early ’90s comedy/nightmare graphic [...]
Filed under: Deconstructing Comics | No Comments »
Posted on
June 10th, 2013 by
TimDC
What do you do when your town monster just doesn’t bring the scary? Hire someone to get the big red guy out of his funk. Rob Harrell breaks out of the funny pages with his first graphic novel, Monster on the Hill; Tim & Mulele review. Meanwhile, much scarier monsters lurk in the background of [...]
Filed under: Deconstructing Comics | No Comments »
Posted on
June 3rd, 2013 by
TimDC
From 1942 to 1966, many of the Donald Duck comic books published by Dell Comics were written and drawn by Carl Barks. Like most comic book creators at the time, his name was unknown; the Duck comics were all credited to Walt Disney. Fans only knew that his work was by the GOOD duck artist. [...]
Filed under: Deconstructing Comics | No Comments »
Posted on
May 27th, 2013 by
TimDC
Comics that you buy in comics shops or bookstores are facing enough business challenges, but how about newspaper comics? Their traditional delivery system is dying out, with many printed papers ceasing publication. The comic strip faces a number of challenges, but there are positive trends as well. How are Web comics and other new technology [...]
Filed under: Deconstructing Comics | No Comments »
Posted on
May 20th, 2013 by
TimDC
Drawing backgrounds is seldom the most enjoyable part of drawing a comic. Many artists dislike it, and might try to give it short shrift. But it’s an important part of telling your story, so you’ve got to do it right. Tim and Mulele discuss some important points to keep in mind when drawing your backgrounds [...]
Filed under: Deconstructing Comics | No Comments »
Posted on
May 13th, 2013 by
TimDC
In more than seven years of doing this podcast, our coverage of European comics has been, um… underwhelming. This week, Tim tries to change that, discussing two European comics with European co-reviewers! First, Nemi, the overzealous goth girl from Norway, whose eponymous strip by Lise Myhre has become popular in numerous European countries. Norwegian Line [...]
Filed under: Deconstructing Comics | No Comments »
Posted on
May 6th, 2013 by
TimDC
The 2000s have been thought of as a “manga boom” in the US. Well, that’s true in comparison to the ’90s, but North American manga sales have never come close to the numbers in Japan. Sales of manga — and books in general, have dropped the past few years, but there are signs that the [...]
Filed under: Deconstructing Comics | No Comments »
Posted on
May 2nd, 2013 by
TimDC
A maligned magician steps up in a time of crisis to become a hero! Tim and Mulele discuss Jason Love’s Kickstarter-funded Madman of Magic. Deconstructing Comics site Follow Tim on Twitter | Facebook group
Filed under: Critiquing Comics | No Comments »
Posted on
April 29th, 2013 by
TimDC
Electronic publishing has made it possible for anyone, anywhere in the world, to make their work available to millions of people. Chinese graphic designer and sometime comic creator Liu Jing is one of them. He’s using modern technology to put out his comics history of one of the world’s oldest civilizations: Understanding China through Comics. [...]
Filed under: Deconstructing Comics | No Comments »
Posted on
April 22nd, 2013 by
TimDC
Yet again, Kumar and Dana go all nationalistic to discuss another Canadian icon: the best there is at what he does, th’ ol’ Canucklehead, Wolverine, bub. First on the chopping block is Wolverine (1982) by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller, a comic which tries to not be paint-by-numbers, but ends up being little else. And, [...]
Filed under: Deconstructing Comics | No Comments »
Posted on
April 15th, 2013 by
TimDC
If you haven’t read The Sixth Gun, by Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt, you may think it’s just a Western. Well, it’s a 19th-century western U.S. setting, but the crux of the story is less “High Noon” and more “Hellblazer”. Tim is joined by Eugenia to discuss this ongoing Oni Press series. We also take [...]
Filed under: Deconstructing Comics | No Comments »
Posted on
April 8th, 2013 by
TimDC
Recently asked on our Facebook group: What would you do if you controlled Marvel and/or DC? This led to another question: How can comics, particularly in the US, gain a larger audience? No one’s really sure of the answer to the second question, but its a good springboard for podcast discussion of comics evangelism and [...]
Filed under: Deconstructing Comics | No Comments »
Posted on
April 1st, 2013 by
TimDC
Shotaro Ishinomori was a very prolific creator of manga, a number of which became staples of live-action children’s TV, such as the Power Rangers and Kamen Rider. Many of his series deal with the relationship between technology and humans, and this week Tim and guest reviewer Deb Aoki discuss two such series, Cyborg 009 and [...]
Filed under: Deconstructing Comics | No Comments »
Posted on
March 28th, 2013 by
TimDC
A Japanese girl has an altercation with a panda cub at the zoo! That’s the setup for this Asia-themed, mangaesque comic. Fresh off its successful Indiegogo crowdfunding project, Yuki vs. Panda faces its next test: a critique by Tim and Mulele! Will it survive?! Deconstructing Comics site Follow Tim on Twitter | Facebook group
Filed under: Critiquing Comics | No Comments »
Posted on
March 25th, 2013 by
TimDC
English-speaking manga fans are probably familiar with the name Deb Aoki. She covers Japanese comics for about.com, and is deeply into manga and anything remotely related to it. Deb made a manga geek pilgrimage to Japan recently, and Tim had a chance to sit down and talk with her about Japan, the changing manga culture [...]
Filed under: Deconstructing Comics | No Comments »
Posted on
March 18th, 2013 by
TimDC
FLASHBACK! Fletcher Hanks created some bizarre, sadistic superhero comics in 1939-1941. Tim and Kumar discuss the Hanks collection I Shall Destroy All the Civilized Planets!, edited by Paul Karasik. Also: Comic Book Comics #2! (Originally published October 27, 2008) Deconstructing Comics site Follow Tim on Twitter | Facebook group
Filed under: Deconstructing Comics | No Comments »
Posted on
March 11th, 2013 by
TimDC
The Boston Comics Roundtable is a thriving group of creators who have weekly meetings and put out anthology books of their work, including Show & Tell; a Collection of Comics about Teaching & Learning; and The Greatest of All Time. This week Tim talks to anthology co-editor (and comics creator) Dan Mazur, who publishes the [...]
Filed under: Deconstructing Comics | No Comments »
Posted on
March 4th, 2013 by
TimDC
You’ve probably heard of Helen Keller, one of the first (but not the first!) blind & deaf Americans to become educated. If so, then you probably also know the name Annie Sullivan – Helen’s teacher. Annie Sullivan and the Trials of Helen Keller, by Joseph Lambert, is a graphic novel biography more of Annie than [...]
Filed under: Deconstructing Comics | No Comments »
Posted on
March 1st, 2013 by
TimDC
Three kids, regarded as troublemakers who’ll never amount to anything, are the stars of Roland Harrison‘s Black Mountain Elementary. Will a zombie apocalypse in the lunchroom allow them to redeem themselves? Tim and Mulele critique. Deconstructing Comics site Follow Tim on Twitter | Facebook group
Filed under: Critiquing Comics | No Comments »
Posted on
February 25th, 2013 by
TimDC
Occasionally our friend Doug Wilson in L.A. sends Mulele some comics he’s come across, and we like to talk about them on the show. This episode’s batch tends to lean violent…including two involuntary arm removals. Mulele and Tim comment on: Ted McKeever’s Mondo #1 Jonathan Way$hak’s Toner #6 Austin Tinius and Robert Salinas’ Doctor Muscles [...]
Filed under: Deconstructing Comics | No Comments »
