Deconstructing Comics
373 episodes - English - Latest episode: 3 days ago - ★★★★★ - 28 ratingsA podcast about the craft of comics
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#710 Naoki Urasawa’s “Pluto”
September 22, 2021 12:00 - 1 hour - 65.6 MBYou’re probably aware of the Osamu Tezuka character Astro Boy (called Tetsuwon Atom in Japan). Starting in 2003, Naoki Urasawa (the creator of Monster) began his own take on a particular Astro Boy story in his series Pluto, as a murder mystery of sorts. The story includes plenty of robots, but is more concerned with … Continue reading #710 Naoki Urasawa’s “Pluto”
Critiquing Comics #206: “Root and Branch”
September 18, 2021 12:00 - 30 minutes - 28.1 MBRoot and Branch is a comic that flirts with the fantasy genre, but is more concerned about a clash of cultures: a traveling elf meeting humans for the first time. This is a web comic, created by Pink Pitcher, that’s still going strong in its seventh year, and currently has a Kickstarter going. Tim and … Continue reading Critiquing Comics #206: “Root and Branch”
#709 “Air Gear”
September 15, 2021 12:00 - 28 minutes - 25.9 MBShonen manga are known for putting their protagonists in systems that they must work their way up through in a series of competitions. In Air Gear, by Ito Ougure under the name Oh! Great, the competitions are races on gravity-defying inline skates. While this manga also includes some aspects that could be judged age-inappropriate, there … Continue reading #709 “Air Gear”
Critiquing Comics #205: “Honeymoon in the Afterlife”
September 11, 2021 12:00 - 29 minutes - 26.7 MBIs Matt Canning‘s Honeymoon in the Afterlife about dying? Is it about life? Unlike some inscrutable comics we’ve discussed recently, this one isn’t frustrating; it’s intriguing, layered, and nuanced, and stands up to — no, demands — repeat readings. Tim and Ryan C. (who wrote a review of the book last fall) discuss. The In … Continue reading Critiquing Comics #205: “Honeymoon in the Afterlife”
#708 Aaack! “Cathy” is still relevant!
September 08, 2021 12:00 - 56 minutes - 52 MBCathy Guisewite‘s longrunning comic strip Cathy is still a topic of discussion, 11 years after it ended. While it may sometimes seem as if topics like sexual harassment and body image are new fields discovered in the last five or ten years, Cathy was bringing them up in the ’80s and ’90s. Comedian Jamie Loftus … Continue reading #708 Aaack! “Cathy” is still relevant!
Critiquing Comics #204: “Purgatory”
September 04, 2021 12:00 - 24 minutes - 22.7 MBPurgatory, by Don Juan Mancha III, anubisazp, and nikokosi, is an unusual comic in that most of the character in it claim to be dead. But in most cases, it’s unclear if they really are. Or is it a way of talking about schizophrenia? Unclear. What’s the plot of this comic? Also unclear. At least, … Continue reading Critiquing Comics #204: “Purgatory”
#707 Joe Dator and “Inked”
September 01, 2021 12:00 - 56 minutes - 52.3 MBAfter fifteen years of cartooning for The New Yorker, Joe Dator has a deep catalog of published work – and a pretty deep catalog of UNpublished work as well (it’s a competitive business!). So in his new book Inked: Cartoons, Confessions, Rejected Ideas and Secret Sketches from the New Yorker’s Joe Dator, Joe includes not … Continue reading #707 Joe Dator and “Inked”
#706 “Ping Pong”
August 25, 2021 12:34 - 1 hour - 55.3 MBProlific manga creator Taiyo Matsumoto’s Ping Pong is, nominally, a sports manga, but it doesn’t stick to the tropes. It presents table tennis matches that take place in a small town, not at a major tournament in Tokyo; often it doesn’t even show the end of a match! In some ways it functions as a … Continue reading #706 “Ping Pong”
Critiquing Comics #203: “Midnight Highway”
August 21, 2021 12:00 - 14 minutes - 13.3 MBMidnight Highway is a horror comic on which all the creators are firing on all cylinders. Well, most of them. Tim and Jason discuss the first issue of this comic by Mike Tener, Alex Maday, Dave Lentz, Alexander Malyshev, Hedwin Zaldivar, and Alex Monik!
“Thor: The Dark World” (2013)
August 18, 2021 12:00 - 45 minutes - 41.6 MBThis week, from our archive of Patreon podcasts, Tim and Mulele discuss the movie Thor: The Dark World in another edition of “Tim Catches Up with the MCU”! It’s one of the lowest-rated MCU movies on Rotten Tomatoes. How do our opinions track with the RT users? Wayne Manor Memoirs podcast Our supporters on Patreon
Critiquing Comics #202: “Theatrics”
August 14, 2021 12:00 - 33 minutes - 30.8 MBNeil Gibson is back! Tim and Mulele have discussed his Twisted Dark anthology series more than once, and Koom once interviewed him for DCP at a London con. His new two-part graphic novel Theatrics, with art by Leonardo Gonzalez, is the best work we’ve seen from him to date. Tim and Adam critique. Buy Theatrics … Continue reading Critiquing Comics #202: “Theatrics”
#705 “Lights, Planets, People”
August 11, 2021 12:00 - 54 minutes - 49.7 MBYou may be puzzled by a book titled Lights, Planets, People; we certainly were. But when we read it, we found that Molly Naylor and Lizzy Stewart’s graphic novel is a story with multiple levels, communicated in multiple ways, including through the shifting art style and color palette. It’s a book about an astronomer who … Continue reading #705 “Lights, Planets, People”
Critiquing Comics #201: “Adora and the Distance”
August 07, 2021 12:00 - 27 minutes - 24.9 MBAlthough it’s currently only available digitally, Adora and the Distance, by Marc Bernardin, Ariela Kistantina, Bryan Valenza, and Bernardo Brice, has garnered a fair amount of mainstream attention (Vanity Fair, Syfy) — reportage that doesn’t even seem aware of the fact that it’s spoiling the book’s twist ending. Of course, we’ll have to spoil it … Continue reading Critiquing Comics #201: “Adora and the Distance”
#704 “Excelsior! The Amazing Life of Stan Lee”
August 04, 2021 12:00 - 1 hour - 65.7 MBContinuing with “How Much Stan Can You Stand?”, this time Tim and Emmet take on Stan Lee’s 2002 memoir (with George Mair), Excelsior! The Amazing Life of Stan Lee. How does it differ from his later memoir Amazing Fantastic Incredible? Have you had all the Stan you can stand? Or should we review more books … Continue reading #704 “Excelsior! The Amazing Life of Stan Lee”
#703 “Far Sector”
July 28, 2021 12:00 - 1 hour - 55.1 MBNK Jemisin and Jamal Campbell‘s Far Sector takes the Green Lantern concept (it’s published by DC) to comment on race relations and the police. Emmet and Kumar discuss the book’s storytelling strategy; whether main character Jo has made a believable choice in becoming a (space) cop; compare novelist Jemisin to other prose writers who have … Continue reading #703 “Far Sector”
Critiquing Comics #200: “.357 Magnum Opus”
July 24, 2021 12:00 - 28 minutes - 26.6 MBTwo bounty hunters are recruited for another job. A woman is seen topless, numerous people get their brains blown out, men and women get amorous on a hair-trigger, and quips and oddball observations are the order of the day. A ’90s Tarentino-esque film? No, it’s graphic novel .357 Magnum Opus, by Ghezal Omar with art … Continue reading Critiquing Comics #200: “.357 Magnum Opus”
#702 “Black Widow”: is the MCU losing the magic?
July 21, 2021 12:00 - 54 minutes - 49.8 MBIt’s been a long time since Tim “caught up with the MCU” in our Patreon podcast series with Mulele; certainly longer without an MCU film than anyone intended it to be! But at last, Black Widow is out. How does it stack up against the movies that have gone before? Tim and Mulele are back … Continue reading #702 “Black Widow”: is the MCU losing the magic?
Critiquing Comics #199: “Amazing Grace”
July 14, 2021 12:00 - 30 minutes - 28 MBAmazing Grace is a Webtoon comic by Shane Berryhill and Mike Salter, featuring sword fights with Dracula, women with plunging necklines, and, sometimes, chapter endings that lack punch. Tim and Adam try to diagnose, and give prescriptions for, what ails this comic, while recognizing that it’s not too far from being well-done. Brought to you … Continue reading Critiquing Comics #199: “Amazing Grace”
#701 Barry Windsor-Smith’s “Monsters”
July 07, 2021 12:00 - 1 hour - 57.7 MBA story originally conceived as an Incredible Hulk tale in — really — the 1980s, Barry Windsor-Smith‘s Monsters has finally seen the light of day. How is it? Kumar and Dana find it a joy to look at, and containing a number of astonishing scenes and mind-blowing plot points, but also to have some serious … Continue reading #701 Barry Windsor-Smith’s “Monsters”
#700 Amazing, Fantastic, Incredible….Nostalgic
June 30, 2021 12:00 - 1 hour - 90.1 MB“How much Stan can you stand?” Tim and Emmet’s look at books on Stan Lee continues with The Man’s graphic novel-memoir Amazing Fantastic Incredible, by Stan Lee, Peter David, and Colleen Doran. Can we recommend it? Listen to the MMMS record 1:18:40 Also, Tim looks back at a few of the many high points in … Continue reading #700 Amazing, Fantastic, Incredible….Nostalgic
Critiquing Comics #198: “Rex Radley, Boy Adventurer”
June 26, 2021 12:00 - 29 minutes - 27 MBWinston Gambro’s Rex Radley: Boy Adventurer is an all-ages comedy adventure series. Tim and Adam discuss.
#699 “How to Be Happy”
June 23, 2021 12:00 - 1 hour - 64.6 MBIn this episode Kumar Sivasubramanian (psst our Eisner nominated member of the Deconstructing Comics team) and Emmet O’Cuana discuss Eleanor Davis‘s comics. Focusing mainly on her collection How To Be Happy and one-shot Libby’s Dad, the comic creator’s use of subtle sadness and surreal humor inspires a wide- ranging conversation (including how to be happy … Continue reading #699 “How to Be Happy”
#698 Tony Stark, Futurist
June 16, 2021 12:00 - 1 hour - 57.9 MBIn the 21st century, Tony Stark (alter ego of Iron Man) has been evolving into an Elon Musk-type “futurist.” What are the reasons for this change? Has it done anything to expand the kinds of stories that can be told with the character? Has Stark ever even really worked as a sympathetic character? Emmet calls … Continue reading #698 Tony Stark, Futurist
Critiquing Comics #197: “Galacto Pit-Fighter”
June 12, 2021 12:00 - 23 minutes - 21.9 MBComics can surely be violent, but can the sheer audacity of the violence make it, intentionally or not, funny? Tim and Adam discuss one of the most over-the-top comics ever critiqued on our show, Kirt Burdick’s Galacto Pit-Fighter!
#697 “Everyone is Tulip”
June 09, 2021 12:00 - 1 hour - 74.7 MBMost people have some dreams of fame and fortune. A certain portion of those people make their way to Hollywood in hopes of getting that big break. But how much are you willing to give up to achieve that goal? And what if the fame isn’t as great as you expected? These are the questions … Continue reading #697 “Everyone is Tulip”
#696 Sequential Potential and “Minamata”
June 02, 2021 12:00 - 51 minutes - 47.3 MBComics, of course, are not just for entertainment. They’re a great medium for educating. This week we feature two examples: Sequential Potential is a company which helps academics get their points across in comics form. Co-founders Darick and Emily Ritter walk us through the process of conversion from dry, boring text to eye-catching comics. The … Continue reading #696 Sequential Potential and “Minamata”
Critiquing Comics #196: “Tales from the Interface” #3
May 29, 2021 12:00 - 25 minutes - 23.9 MBThree years ago, Tim & Mulele discussed the first issue of Tales from the Interface by Emmanuel Filteau. We thought it was well done, even though we didn’t quite understand what was happening! Emmanuel recently sent us the third issue, by which the situation has become clearer – it’s your basic dystopian future – and … Continue reading Critiquing Comics #196: “Tales from the Interface” #3
#695 Zander Cannon talks “Smax”!
May 26, 2021 12:00 - 58 minutes - 53.3 MBA comics series that’s sadly hard to find these days is Smax by Alan Moore, Zander Cannon, and Andrew Currie. Emmet has been waxing nostalgic for this spinoff of Moore, Cannon, and Gene Ha’s Top Ten, so this week he calls up Cannon to chat about it – the meaning of the handprint on Smax’s … Continue reading #695 Zander Cannon talks “Smax”!
#694 “True Believer”
May 19, 2021 12:00 - 1 hour - 58.7 MBHow much Stan can you stand? That’s the question Emmet and Tim are asking as we review an undetermined number of Stan Lee biographies! In episode 692, we covered Spurgeon and Raphael’s 2004 entry; this time, it’s the most recent tome, True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee by Abraham Riesman. While some … Continue reading #694 “True Believer”
Critiquing Comics #195: “Circle 7” #1
May 12, 2021 12:00 - 29 minutes - 27.6 MBOur critique candidate this time is an unusual one: an artist who asks us to critique a comic he drew 26 years ago! The book is Circle 7 issue 1 (story by Joshua Lauber, pencils and inks by Daniel M. Rodriguez), about a superhero team in a world gone rotten – notably, an all-Black team. … Continue reading Critiquing Comics #195: “Circle 7” #1
#693 Manga’s Scary Cats!
May 05, 2021 12:00 - 57 minutes - 52.6 MBThere’s a history of horror manga featuring cats, especially humans with cat features. What are some of the prominent titles in this genre? Where does this come from? Patrick has been studying this association and is here to tell us about some of the prominent titles, including Shigeru Mizuki’s Mysterious Neko Musume (featuring a character … Continue reading #693 Manga’s Scary Cats!
Critiquing Comics #194: “Realm of Owls”
April 28, 2021 12:00 - 28 minutes - 26.6 MBPart comic, part children’s storybook, Realm of Owls is heavy on world building and a bit light on characters, at least in the early going. How does it stand up as a reading experience? Tim is joined by Adam Pasion to discuss this web comic by Gheralf and Vayandil.
#692 “Stan Lee and the Rise and Fall of the American Comic Book”
April 21, 2021 12:00 - 1 hour - 71.3 MBTim and Emmet begin a series on Stan Lee biographies with the 2003 book Stan Lee and the Rise and Fall of the American Comic Book by Jordan Raphael and the late, great Tom Spurgeon. What’s the tone of this book, and how does it portray Stan? How much of the Marvel Universe is he … Continue reading #692 “Stan Lee and the Rise and Fall of the American Comic Book”
Critiquing Comics #193: “The Zombie Game”
April 14, 2021 12:00 - 25 minutes - 24 MBAt what was ostensibly a rave, some kids are turned into zombies. How do the remaining kids deal with it? And– why didn’t THEY get turned into zombies? That’s the scenario of The Zombie Game, by Dan Bridges, Gary Ambrosia, Pablo Ayala, Lucase Gattoni, and Emily McGuiness (currently on Kickstarter). Tim and Jason try to … Continue reading Critiquing Comics #193: “The Zombie Game”
#691 Moore and Andrade’s “Crossed +100”
April 07, 2021 12:00 - 1 hour - 61.7 MBIt’s debatable whether Garth Ennis’ series Crossed, about a disease that causes people to act in the most reprehensible ways possible, had any redeeming qualities, but when Alan Moore steps in to write the next chapter, you know it’s going to be worth discussing. And so we have Crossed +100 by Moore and Gabriel Andrade. … Continue reading #691 Moore and Andrade’s “Crossed +100”
Critiquing Comics #192: “The Corona Bible”
March 31, 2021 12:00 - 30 minutes - 28.2 MBPier Dola has sent us another of his comics. Another of his very, very long comics, filled with very well-drawn grotesque images. This one is called The Corona Bible, and it’s about COVID and … other stuff. Tim and Emmet try to figure it out.
#690 “Dragon Age: Dark Fortress” and “Haha”
March 24, 2021 12:00 - 1 hour - 73.4 MBNunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir, following up on their appearance in episode 653, are back on the show to discuss their upcoming miniseries Dragon Age: Dark Fortress. How does the Dragon Age fan base compare with other ardent fan bases? How is Christina and Nunzio’s relationship with Dragon Age artist Fernando Heinz Furukawa? They discuss … Continue reading #690 “Dragon Age: Dark Fortress” and “Haha”
Critiquing Comics #191: “Confederate Monster” #1
March 17, 2021 12:00 - 34 minutes - 32 MBA German doctor treats amputee Confederate soldiers in 1864 Virginia. But then his secret is found out by a desperate Southern army that will go to any lengths to get the doctor to do what they want. In this episode, Tim and Patrick discuss Dave Swartz’s Confederate Monster.
“Iron Man 3” (2013)
March 03, 2021 13:00 - 58 minutes - 54.1 MBThis week, from our archive of Patreon podcasts, Tim and Mulele discuss the movie Iron Man 3 in another edition of “Tim Catches Up with the MCU”!
Critiquing Comics #190: “Duplicant”
February 27, 2021 13:00 - 36 minutes - 33.3 MBIn a world where a pandemic is causing people’s organs to fail, the company that makes synthetic organs wields a lot of power – especially if the patient doesn’t have the funds to pay for the surgery. In this episode, writer Jason McNamara joins Tim to talk about Duplicant, from Karla Nappi, Marianna Strychowska, Carlos … Continue reading Critiquing Comics #190: “Duplicant”
#688 Jed MacKay interview
February 24, 2021 13:00 - 49 minutes - 45.7 MBCandian Jed MacKay is rising through the ranks at Marvel with some stellar books starring secondary characters — the Black Cat, Taskmaster — and now the Avengers in mech suits (Avengers Mech Strike). In this episode he talks with Tim about why Taskmaster portrayals have become goofier, how he treats Black Cat as sexy but … Continue reading #688 Jed MacKay interview
#687 “Crowded”
February 17, 2021 13:00 - 1 hour - 61.8 MBIs it annoying or brilliant? A smart commentary on internet culture? Too trendy for the oldsters who make this podcast? Is it plausible enough to stand alongside the best in science fiction? Emmet and Kumar ask these questions and more in their review of Crowded by Christopher Sebela, Ro Stein, Ted Brandt, Trina Farrell, and … Continue reading #687 “Crowded”
Critiquing Comics #189: “FingerBang” #4
February 13, 2021 13:00 - 21 minutes - 20.3 MBA story about a pot-smoking superhero taking on a villain whose henchmen wear KKK robes. Is this OK?! Tim is joined by Ryan C. to discuss Ben Perone and Jer Gordon’s FingerBang #4.
#686 Con Chrisoulis interview
February 10, 2021 13:00 - 1 hour - 78.6 MBCon Chrisoulis has been on the comics scene since 1996, releasing comics in his native Australia, in Greece, and in the UK, as well as comics on the web. He’s best known for Tales of the Smiths, Rebel Rebel: The Graphic Biography of David Bowie, and King: The Graphic Biography of Jack Kirby. In this … Continue reading #686 Con Chrisoulis interview
#685 Hilary Barta interview
February 03, 2021 13:00 - 1 hour - 99.9 MBHilary Barta has been drawing (and sometimes writing) comics for decades, for nearly any publisher you can name. He even worked with the great Alan Moore on “Splash Branigan.” In this week’s show he talks to Koom about working with Moore, his Plastic Man stint, and his new humor story with Doug Rice “When Monsters … Continue reading #685 Hilary Barta interview
Critiquing Comics #188: “Jellied Feels”
January 30, 2021 13:00 - 39 minutes - 36.5 MBWe’ve discussed Joseph Hewitt’s work on the show before, and even met him at a comics festival. Now he’s back with a collection of well-chosen gems from his back catalog. DCP co-founder Brandon makes his first Critiquing Comics appearance as he and Tim try spreading some of these Jellied Feels.
#684 Joe Sacco’s “Paying the Land”
January 27, 2021 13:00 - 54 minutes - 49.9 MBComics journalist Joe Sacco is back, with an up-close look at the Dene people, of the western part of Canada’s Northwest Territories. Like many native peoples, their way of life was shattered by contact with colonial Europeans, who made traumatizing efforts to assimilate them into Western culture. What happened in western Canada, and what is … Continue reading #684 Joe Sacco’s “Paying the Land”
#683 COVID comics and graphic medicine
January 20, 2021 13:00 - 1 hour - 75 MBThere have been plenty of comics made about the current COVID-19 pandemic, both instructional and autobiographical ones. In this episode Tim talks about about some of these with graphic medicine expert Alice Jaggers, a contributor to graphicmedicine.org, as well as other comics on health issues… one of which is none other than Fullmetal Alchemist! The … Continue reading #683 COVID comics and graphic medicine
Critiquing Comics #187: “Bear With Me”
January 16, 2021 13:00 - 19 minutes - 18 MBA retro-style daily strip about a talking bear! This time Tim is joined by comics colorist Jeremy Kahn to discuss Bob Scott‘s strip Bear With Me.
#682 “John Constantine: Hellblazer”
January 13, 2021 13:00 - 1 hour - 76.1 MBThe pandemic has caused a variety of entertainment content to go unreleased or even unmade. Unfortunately, that extends to the recent series John Constantine: Hellblazer by Simon Spurrier and Aaron Campbell, canceled after issue 12 when Spurrier had expected to get six more issues. Kumar and Jordan are big fans of the series, and this … Continue reading #682 “John Constantine: Hellblazer”