Boom! Studios Editor, Elizabeth Brei, joins the show! Elizabeth joins John and David for this Valentine’s Day Special to talk about the gatekeepers of the comics industry, where new comic readers should (and definitely shouldn’t) get started, making comics more accessible, and John and Elizabeth’s shared love of the manga, NANA. Also, David apologizes (once again), and John tries to explain industry BS.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of The Corner Box vs Elizabeth Brei.

Timestamp Segments

• [01:24] The first thing John ever said to Elizabeth.
• [02:07] David apologises.
• [03:03] Elizabeth discovers the podcast.
• [04:33] Self-publishing comics.
• [05:56] Elizabeth’s origin story.
• [09:35] John’s Diamond story.
• [12:23] Getting back into comics.
• [15:42] Why the industry is struggling.
• [17:27] John explains the BS.
• [21:07] Elizabeth’s recommendations for starters.
• [22:42] David’s 3 go-to first comics.
• [24:08] Which superhero comic would Elizabeth recommend?
• [26:06] The changing aesthetic of comics.
• [27:23] Discovering NANA.
• [28:47] The NANA 101.
• [34:20] NANA’s popularity.

Notable Quotes

• “I almost never recommend superhero comics.”
• “You can have a really emotional response to a comic book.”
• “NANA is still considered the most popular, the most successful shojo manga of all time.”

Relevant Links

David's Fun Stuff!
Did Someone Say Fun Time? Let's GO!

John is at PugW!
Pug WorldwideCornerbox.club.

Elizabeth Brei is Making Stuff!
Elizabeth Brei

Books Mentioned

• NANA, by Ai Yazawa.
• Last Song, by Elizabeth Brei & Kay Lucero.

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• Good-bye, Chunky Rice, by Craig Thompson.
• Fear Itself.
• Final Crisis, by Grant Morrison.
• March, by John Lewis, Andrew Aidin, & Nate Powell.
• Maus, by Art Spiegelman.
• Paradise Kiss, by Ai Yazawa.
• Saga, by Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples.
• Sailor Moon, by Naoko Takeuchi.
• Scott Pilgrim, by Bryan Lee O’Malley.
• Secret Invasion, by Brian Michael Bendis, Leinil Yu, & Gabriele Dell’otto.
• We3, by Grant Morrison & Frank Quitely.
• Young Avengers, by Kieron Gillen & Jamie McKelvie.
• Young Avengers, by Allan Heinberg & Jim Cheung.