Deconstructing Comics

Typical of the Jack Kirby comics we've read from the 1970s, the 1977 Black Panther series is a wild ride. Issues 5 and 6 feature a city of samurai (apparently nowhere near Japan), a yeti (nowhere near the Himalayas), and a nuclear missile (which is far too close to Wakanda). Wait, did we say "Wakanda"?! At last the series is inching back to the familiar territory, literally and figuratively, of a Black Panther story! But first...

Adam Tierney, writer of the recent hit one-shot Romeo and Juliet and Godzilla, is a video game writer who dabbles in comics as a hobby -- and it's looking like a very successful hobby! This week he talks to Tim about choosing who Godzilla would cross paths with in his Godzilla's Monsterpiece Theatre issue, his love of horror and forthcoming horror comic for kids, how he got into video games, and more.

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Jim Steranko's Nick Fury stories from the late 1960s are lauded for the artwork, especially in the stories after Fury got out of Strange Tales and into his own book. The stories are wacky and kind of haphazard. The layouts are sometimes very innovative, but the storytelling is not always clear. Are these stories worth reading today? Tim and Kumar complete their review of Steranko's Nick Fury. Also, we hear from some listeners, and ...

FLASHBACK! Why read a biography of a fictional comics artist? What if it's also a history of Singapore — done in a style that apes more than a dozen seminal 20th century comics creators? Tim and Kumar take a look at the awe-inspiring (yet sometimes puzzling) Sonny Liew graphic novel The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye. (Originally published May 8, 2017.)

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Black Panther continues his wild ride, courtesy of Jack Kirby -- but filling a role that could have been played by virtually any character. With Abner Little and Princess Zanda, we see him fight various treasure protectors, drive an incredibly stylish ancient vehicle, take on a samurai who's been transplanted to Africa, and more. Tim and Emmet try to keep up with the craziness.

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Ian M is a Japan-based Canadian creator whose work we've discussed on this podcast before. His work is often about Japan, but not necessarily about himself. In The Blossoming City part one, he begins the story (presumably true?) about a community garden in Sapporo, in a story that he tells in a variety of cartooning styles. Tim and Adam discuss.

Eric Paul Johnson is a podcaster who is publishing an archive of his since-discont...

FLASHBACK! We continue our look at Alan Moore's 1980s run on Swamp Thing— a run in which the title character met werewolves and vampires (as Moore and co. found a new way to use these old tropes), as well as new character John Constantine. Moore was aided by artists Stephen Bissette, John Totleben, and Alfredo Acala, among others. Koom and newcomer Darrell Epp discuss issues 38-50. (Originally published January 30, 2019....

FLASHBACK! Even amidst the anything-goes craziness of the early Image years, Sam Kieth's The Maxx was an outlier. While it included some superhero tropes, it wasn't really a superhero book, nor was it like much of anything else on the market, then or now. While it definitely has its weaknesses, Kumar and Dana confirm this week that it was absolutely mind-blowing…and emotionally affecting. Marking Sam Kieth's death on March 1...

Somehow it's taken us 20 years of podcasting to get to Jim Steranko's fabled run on Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. But is the early stuff really so fabled? There's lots of action and it's exciting, but don't dare think about it too much, because the seat-of-the-pants plotting is all over the map, and the anatomy drawing sometimes leaves something to be desired. Still, as you go issue by issue, you start to see new ideas coming to...

FLASHBACK! Due perhaps to the passage of time, poorly handled reprinting by DC, or some other reason, Alan Moore's writing stint on Swamp Thing in the 1980s does not seem to get mentioned much today. Which is a shame, because it ranks with Moore's best work. And the art by Stephen Bissette and John Totleben (and able fill-in artists) is worth the price of admission by itself, not to mention Tatjana Wood's colors.

Tim and Kumar had ...

We begin our look at Jack Kirby's Black Panther series from the 1970s, introducing a new Kirby character who's a bit too similar to one who first appeared in Captain America! Panther has somehow gotten mixed up in the search for the mate to King Solomon's Frog, an oddball time travel device. The mate is used to return people to their proper point in time. Tim and Emmet discuss the first two issues of the run and how Kirby's Pa...

Sometimes, achieving your dream can be kind of a nightmare, even though it's also rewarding. Claudia, in Katriona Chapman's latest graphic novel The Pass, has started her own restaurant and enjoys creating in the kitchen, but everything else that goes with it wears her down. The book gives us a peek at the ups and downs of running a restaurant and the relationships that form behind the scenes. Tim and Emmet review.

Tim an...

Inio Asano's Goodnight Punpun gives us what appear to be a family of ghostly birds living in a much more realistic-looking world. People within that world don't see them that way, though. It's a world where authority figures act like ADHD kids, where every parent seems to be abusive or alcoholic (or both), and all seem to be fighting relentless depression. It's well done, but is it worth reading? Tim and Kumar discuss the story, th...

After "hunting" the Fantastic Four, the Black Panther reveals that he did it for practice, as he anticipated a battle against his father's killer: Ulysses Klaw. Sure enough, Klaw shows up right on schedule, and the FF help Panther take him down. Tim and Emmet discuss Fantastic Four #53 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby!

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