We owe our imagination to Jeff Smith. His masterpiece, Bone, shaped our inner lives, molding our philosophies as much as our creativity. It's a work so profound it's nearly impossible to consider that any future work could ever live up to its brilliance. But then we read Tuki: Fight for Fire and Tuki: Fight for Family. We now welcome these comics into our hearts, beating side by side with the Bone cousins. 

Two million BCE. Multiple human species existed alongside each other. We live and breathe as a result of their struggle and collaboration. For many years, Jeff Smith percolated on this unique moment in time, and Tuki is the result.

Like Bone, it's a quest saga sitting atop an ever-growing mythology. The title character reluctantly surrounds himself with individuals in desperate need of companionship despite their fear and weary judgment of each other. Tuki is a comic speaking to our moment as much as it underscores our evolutionarily catastrophic history. You will recognize the hardship in its pages. You'll also recognize the hope.

We were more than delighted to chat with Jeff Smith about Tuki and why this narrative has haunted him for so long. We were damn giddy. We discuss Smith's obsessions, his process, his audience, and more. We celebrate where comic readers are today, where they were yesterday, and where they'll be tomorrow. Our conversation is an epic one. We know you'll enjoy it.

Relevant Links to this Week's Episode:

• Jeff Smith's Netflix Cartoon

Be sure to stay updated on all things Jeff Smith by visiting his Twitter HERE, his Instagram HERE, and his Website HERE. You can purchase Tuki: Fight for Fire wherever fine comics are sold, or you can click HERE. Tuki: Fight for Family arrives on shelves in early July. You can pre-order a copy HERE.

And, of course, follow Comic Book Couples Counseling on Facebook, on Instagram, and on Twitter @CBCCPodcast, and you can follow hosts Brad Gullickson @MouthDork & Lisa Gullickson @sidewalksiren.

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Continue your conversation with CBCC by hopping over to our website where we have reviews, essays, and numerous interviews with comic book creators.

Podcast logo by Aaron Prescott @acoolhandfluke, podcast banner art by @Karen_XmenFan.