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A Weekly* Podcast with @andreashock & @aaronmeyers talking about the bigger issues in life using comics as the starting point.
Episodes
Saturday Jun 21, 2014
Saturday Jun 21, 2014
Comics Therapy. No Reviews. Just Analysis.
Two books from June 18, 2014. Plus Your Nerd Confessions (about which characters would benefit most from therapy or counseling) and a new segment, Regression Therapy.
On The Couch: cartoonist and designer Jen Vaughn.
Show Notes:
This week's theme is internal demons, specifically in the form of mental illness. There’s such a stigma in our culture when it comes to talking about this kind of stuff, and even more so when it comes to admitting it’s something you have dealt with personally. Comics - and movies, books, television, art in general - give us a chance to be honest under the guise of storytelling. Something happens, though, when that raw truth is recognizable and relatable under the fictional glaze. It’s beautiful and scary and awesome. Comics, man. Good job this week making us think.
Translucid #3 13:35
The story of the way a young boy deals with his fractured, abusive home life. How he uses fantasy to escape his tragic reality. And how this vivid disassociation itself could be the symptom of something far more insidious going on inside his head. This isn’t a superhero story in the traditional sense at all, and that’s what makes its character journeys so incredible.
Sex Criminals #6 22:40
A much more complete view of Jon than we’ve ever seen before. He’s struggling. He’s impulsive. He’s intense. He’s detaching from his own contrived reality. He needs help, because he can’t help himself. This issue is Jon’s story of the consequences of his own slippage and one possible attempt at a reset. He’s on meds, so there may not be any more impulsivity issues - bad or good - but there are also no more feelings. Everything is just fine. Until it isn’t.
The Couch - Jen Vaughn 39:55
Jen has contributed to Adventure Time and Princeless, and is part of the team doing Cartozia Tales, the all-ages anthology. Her book Avery Fatbottom: Renaissance Fair Detective - decidedly not all-ages - is published by Monkeybrain Comics. Jen also works in marketing and communications for Fantagraphics and you may have seen her in Cartoon College, the documentary film about the Center for Cartoon Studies where she did her graduate work.
Saturday Jun 14, 2014
Saturday Jun 14, 2014
Two comics from June 11, 2014. Plus your Nerd Confessions (about your favorite time meeting a creator in real life).
On The Couch: Eisner-winning writer J. M. DeMatteis
Show Notes:
This week’s theme is you ain’t who you say you are. You know that terrible feeling when you discover waaay late in the game that someone you really thought you knew is in fact totally different in every way? It never works in the positive direction, either. It’s not like suddenly they turn awesome after being a giant asshole. Noooooo. It’s totally like after years and years of trusting you really know someone BOOM! You wake up and realize it was all a lie. We’re looking at two comics that touch on that big reveal, that big realization that there’s a whole lot more - or less - going on under the surface than you expected. Could be robots. Could be secrets. Murder. Mayhem. Mystery. Could be the comic itself is completely not what you expected. Really, it’s fine.
Two cops. One is a robot. They don't know which one. Hijinks ensue. In the comic and on the show.
Original Sins #1 27:24
Another Marvel event with cosmic implications. And advertisements. And mansplaining. Not a lot of secrets, though. Weird.
The Couch - J.M. DeMatteis 42:28
Over his 35 year career, Mr. DeMatteis has written lengthy runs on Captain America and Spider-Man for Marvel, including the critically acclaimed ‘Kraven’s Last Hunt’ storyline. He’s written countless Justice League stories for DC over the years, winning the Eisner in 2004 for the mini-series Formerly Known As The Justice League with Keith Giffen and Kevin MacGuire. His graphic novels Mercy and Moonshadow among others helped launch the DC imprint Vertigo in the 90s. He’s written all-ages comics and prose, like Abadazad and the novel Imaginalis, as well as episodes of Teen Titans Go!, Ben 10 and other animated shows. He is currently writing Justice League 3000 and Justice League Dark for DC Comics.
Saturday Jun 07, 2014
Saturday Jun 07, 2014
Comics Therapy. No Reviews. Just Analysis.
On The Couch: writer Jeremy Holt.
Show Notes:
This week we’re talking about the classic threat that has peppered speculative fiction for centuries - alien invasion. It’s a theme that we’ve touched on before, but so has virtually every civilization since the dawn of time. We’re discussing Earth under attack long after the demise of humans, leaving our successors to defend their lives and our legacy, and we’re taking a look at what might happen when the aliens themselves have home field advantage, and your only defense is a field hockey stick and some theater props. Also, that totally makes the humans the aliens, right? Mind blown. Pssshhhhhh.
D4VE #5 10:20
We may have lost the robot uprising, but the joke's on them. Recreated in our image, the robot's lives are just as empty and unfulfilling as humanity's. Until the aliens come. Dun dun DUH.
Bonus: Andrea has no sense of humor. But Aaron already knew that.
The Woods #2 22:17
Transported to an alien world, the students of Bay Point Prep fight teachers, creatures and each other to survive. Dun dun DUH.
Bonus: Andrea hates The Giver. Aaron is crushed. Comics, what?
The Couch - Jeremy Holt 38:18
You may know Jeremy from his Multiversity column Strange Love or his books Southern Dog and Cobble Hill, both originally published by 215Ink. Southern Dog will be published by Action Lab Entertainment beginning in August. He is currently writing two books published by MonkeyBrain Comics, Art Monster and Skinned, the latter co-written by Tim Daniel.
Saturday May 31, 2014
Saturday May 31, 2014
Comics Therapy. No Reviews. Just Analysis.
Three comics from Wednesday, May 28, 2014. Plus your Nerd Confessions (about the comics you think should be taught in schools).
Show Notes:
In honor of the holiday weekend marking the unofficial start to summer, we’re talking about school. Well, not really, because school sucks. And you know why? It’s not because of the work, it’s because of the kids. If hell is other people, then high school is the ninth circle. So this week we’re looking at teen superheroes and what they do outside of school and schools for young assassins and kids sent to space because they’re too smart for school. You know how adolescence and school cliques are portrayed in stories written by adults in many cases for adults but featuring kids? It’s totally fine. Because being a teenager really does suck for a lot of reasons, and that’s no different in comics.
Ms. Marvel #4 25:40
Trying to fit in at school, at home and within one's community is already a challenge during adolescence. Surprise super powers totally complicate everything.
Pariah #4 34:45
Teenagers think they know everything. This group of kids actually does.
Or at least enough to stay alive, so far.
Deadly Class #5 43:00
Sex, drugs, rock 'n roll. Cliques, classes and clowns. Teenage angst and philosophical musing.
And 1987 is a beautiful place.
Friday May 23, 2014
Friday May 23, 2014
Comics Therapy. No Reviews. Just Analysis.
Two comics from Wednesday, May 21, 2014. Plus your Nerd Confessions (about your favorite historical comics).
On The Couch: writer and artist Box Brown.
Show Notes:
This week we’re looking at historical fiction, with a twist. From biographies like Box Brown’s Andre the Giant graphic novel to adaptations and re-interpretations like Steve Niles and Damien Worm’s Monster & Madmen to contemporary investigations of decades-old mysteries like Andre Sirangelo and Gabriel Lumazark’s Last Broadcast, comics creators - and readers - love their history. It doesn’t have to be true - and in the case of the two comics we’re analyzing, neither are. We talked about the manipulation of time last week, but we’re talking today about honoring time. Telling the stories of the past to help us better understand today.
Monster & Madmen #3 17:33
A nineteenth century mashup of fictional (and monstrous) horror with a series of true unsolved murders in London.
Last Broadcast #1 28:30
Magic and mystery in 21st century San Francisco meets magic and mystery in 20th century San Francisco.
The Couch - Box Brown 42:25
Box Brown's graphic novel biography Andre the Giant: Life and Legend was published this month by First Second. He also wrote and drew Everything Dies, a series about religions around the world and the webcomic Bellen!, the story of Ben and Ellen. Several years ago, he successfully kickstarted Retrofit Comics, dedicated to publishing mini comics from some of the best alternative comics creators working today. Last year, Retrofit announced a partnership with Big Planet Comics to help with distribution as well as a monthly subscription deal for 2014. You can also find some of Retrofit’s comics, including Box Brown’s Beach Girls via Comixology Submit and other digital comics providers.
Saturday May 17, 2014
Saturday May 17, 2014
Comics Therapy. No Reviews. Just Analysis.
Two books from Wednesday, May 14, 2014. Plus your Nerd Confessions (about favorite time travel stories).
On The Couch: writer Joe Keatinge.
Show Notes:
This week’s theme is time travel, because why not. It’s probably the most common theoretical exercise, right? A daydream that starts at a young age and gets more and more complicated as we’re exposed to the rules and parameters of countless stories, movies, television shows and comics that use traveling through time as a catalyst, solution or problem to be solved.
All New X-Men #27 13:30
Remember that time the original X-Men came to the current Marvel time line and in doing so ripped apart the entire time space continuum so it will never be the same again?! Again. (Yeeaaaah.)
The Field #2 32:15
Remember that time a guy traveled through time and seemingly relived the same events over and over again but still had no idea what was going on? Again.
The Couch - Joe Keatinge
Joe is a Harvey and Eisner-winning editor. Over the years he's also been a writer, artist, colorist and even publicist. These days, he’s probably best known for his work as a writer with Marvel Comics and Image Comics,including his new creator-owned series Shutter, with Leila DelDuca, published by Image and What If? Age of Ultron, published by Marvel. His upcoming Adventures of Superman story was recently announced by DC Comics.
Saturday May 10, 2014
Saturday May 10, 2014
Comics Therapy. No Reviews. Just Analysis.
Two books from Wednesday, May 7, 2014. Plus your Nerd Confessions (about the best day jobs in comics).
On The Couch: Allison Baker and Chris Roberson from MonkeyBrain Comics.
Show Notes:
Don’t quit your day job. No, really. That’s the theme. We’re looking at two comics where the character’s jobs are an integral part of their identities in very different ways. For most of us that’s true in real life, too. The question is, do we define our jobs or do our jobs define us?
We are also looking at this through the lens of predominantly female characters, bringing up all sorts of interesting things about empowerment, gender roles and stereotype. Some of which makes us uncomfortable to discuss.
She Hulk #4 10:45
What do you want to be when you grow up? What's your major? Who do you work for? Tracing the point at which our jobs and our identities are first inextricably linked, in the hopes of understanding why a hero would still want to practice law after she became super.
Rat Queens #6 25:52
Four female characters in the traditional male role of adventurers for hire.Sounds great. Equal rights for everyone. Or are there? Turns out defining the personality traits of a female mercenary are even more difficult than we thought.
The Couch - Allison Baker and Chris Roberson 43:10
Allison is a film and political media producer and Chris is a prolific writer of both prose and comics. He’s the co-creator of the Eisner-nominated comics series iZombie, currently in development for television by the CW and he writes a great many other things including Edison Rex, drawn by Dennis Culver who we talked to back in Episode 35. Allison handles the day to to day operations of Monkeybrain and her column Allison Types appears on ComicBookResources.com. They are both awesome in vastly different yet compatible ways, which is probably why they’re content to both live and work together.
Friday May 02, 2014
Friday May 02, 2014
Comics Therapy. New Reviews. Just Analysis.
Two books from April 30, 2014. Plus your Nerd Confessions (about your creator dream teams).
On The Couch: writer Joe Harris.
Show Notes:
The theme this week is sleep. Specifically the kind of sleep where dreaming is possible, if not inevitable. Everybody dreams. But through thousands of years of speculation and study, we’re no closer to really understanding why we do or what they mean. Dreams in fiction have a special power all their own, often exploring the more surreal aspects of this shared experience we have no control over. It all comes down to how much you trust your ability to stay safe within your own subconscious.
Dream Police #1 22:05
Part Inception, part Dragnet.
Bad Dreams #1 34:55
An all-ages blend of Wizard of Oz, Labyrinth, and maybe even a bit of Harold and the Purple Crayon.
The Couch - Joe Harris 47:20
Joe has written for all the major publishing companies, including Marvel, DC, Dark Horse and Dynamite. He published two creator-owned miniseries, Ghost Projekt and Spontaneous, and a graphic novel, Wars in Toyland, with Oni Press. He is, of course, currently writing his creator-owned series Great Pacific, published by Image Comics, which we talked about two weeks ago in episode 37 and X-Files Season 10, published by IDW, which we talked about way back in September in episode 9.
Saturday Apr 26, 2014
Saturday Apr 26, 2014
Comics Therapy. No Reviews. Just Analysis.
Three books from Wednesday, April 23, 2014. Plus your Nerd Confessions (about your best LCS experiences).
Show Notes:
Our theme this week is betrayal. We thought about doing a Stockholm Syndrome-type investigation, but that’s such a loaded and controversial psychological term that trying to apply it, even poetically, to fictional situations seemed like more of a stretch for us than usual. But there’s no doubt about it, betrayal is par for the course in comics. It keeps things interesting amongst established teams, and when doled out piecemeal to readers, it can up the intrigue in a developing story faster than almost anything else. Very occasionally it’s even used for laughs, but more often than not a true betrayal is unexpected and shocking. (And if you’re Andrea, elicits an audible gasp. Or shriek. Whatever. She is also a delight to watch to watch movies with.)
The Eltingville Club #1 15:25
Behavior so disgusting it has to be satire, right? Sadly, Aaron's experiences in his youth - and more recent egregious examples within the larger comics community - tell us this intentionally ugly glimpse into the minds of the adolescent nerd hits remarkably close to home.
The Bunker #3 33:05 - 39:55 (if you want to completely avoid spoiling the big twist in this issue)
If you can't even trust yourself, you certainly can't trust your friends. Now or ever.
Avengers Undercover #3 41:27
Alternative title: Avengers PTSD. Alternative alternative title: If You Can't Beat 'Em, Join 'Em.
Our favorite teen heroes are dealing with the aftermath of Murder World in a variety of ways, some more healthy than others.
Friday Apr 18, 2014
Friday Apr 18, 2014
Comics Therapy. No Reviews. Just Analysis.
Two books from April 16, 2014. Plus your Nerd Confessions (about the best start to a series) and Aaron's Inner Child.
On The Couch: artist and writer Phil Hester.
Show Notes:
The theme this week is creation and destruction. Limitless power invokes the age old question of responsibility. And playing God can have nasty side effects for both deity and disciple alike.
Genesis 14:03 - 24:00 (if you'd like to completely avoid spoilers for this OGN)
A dreamlike journey before imminent death or a twisted reality as death itself is avoided? Creation and destruction in one gorgeous package.
A Voice in the Dark #6 26:15
One of the most unique female characters in comics today is also a serial killer, but we're not judging, just fascinated. Her acceptance of her own darkness is what gives her strength.
The Couch - Phil Hester 37:45
Phil has worked for many publishers over the course of his long career but is particularly recognized for his runs on Swamp Thing with Mark Millar and Green Arrow with Kevin Smith and Brad Metzner. His creator-owned book The Wretch was nominated for an Eisner award for best new series. He is also known for taking over writing duties on DC’s pre-New 52 Wonder Woman. He is currently writing Thunder Agents for IDW and Invincible Universe for Image Comics.