Michael Kupperman’s Tales Designed to Thrizzle and Lisa Hanawalt’s My Dirty Dumb Eyes are two books exhibiting bizarre humor and pointed takes on modern life. Tim, Kumar, and Tom Spurgeon discuss. Bojack Horseman trailer

You know that feeling when you love an artist’s work, but then you get their next one, and feel like… ehh, the magic’s gone? Tim was afraid that would be his reaction to Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Seconds but, as he discusses with Cassey this week, his fears were completely misplaced! Also this week, a discussion […]

Comics conventions are changing. Some creators complain that it’s harder to sell books at cons than it once was. Distractions — cosplay, Hollywood — creep in and attract larger crowds, but don’t increase comics sales at the events. Having attended Boston Comicon in August, Paul shares the experience with Tim, and discussion ensues on problems […]

Ian McMurray‘s Square #11 is a tour de force of autobiographical cartooning, eschewing chronology, switching up styles, and closely observing himself and the things and people around him. He digs deep within himself and still makes it a fun read. Tim and Mulele discuss. Buy this comic for $1.00 here

We turn our attention to comics lettering this week, and longtime letterer Rus Wooton. Rus worked on a lot of Marvel books in the 2000s, and his work can currently be seen on numerous Image titles, including Black Science (left). Tim talks with Rus about what makes lettering good or bad, how to get lettering […]

A parkour manga from Greece is the topic. A parkour manga featuring a French high school student in suburban Tokyo, and a mysterious punk-ninja-parkour gang. What could go wrong? In fact, Tim and Mulele find, surprisingly little! R.U.N. by Kariofillis Chris Chatzopoulos, Rafail Voutsidis, Lagouvardos Manos, and Nikitas Efimidis

Critiquing Comics returns at last, with a look at Mike Dawson’s Angie Bongiolatti, a story of twentysomethings in New York just after 9/11. The book has been published by Secret Acres, and Tim and Mulele can see why: the art and scripting are well done. And yet…something about this book is not quite there.

FLASHBACK! From 1985 to 1995, Bill Watterson’s Calvin and Hobbes challenged newspaper readers with imaginative stories, beautiful art, philosophical discussions, and ROTFL gags. Watterson famously eschewed commercialism, not only in the strip, but in real life, approving no C&H tie-in products other than books of strips and a calendar or two. Tim and Kumar discuss […]

In the world of corporate comics, creators are challenged to put together a run on a given book that will stand out against everything that’s come before in that book, and leave a mark on the series that will last well beyond their run. Grant Morrison’s New X-Men run, from 2001 to 2004, met that […]

Perhaps one of the most puzzling comics releases in years was The Book of Genesis, Illustrated by R. Crumb. While it’s a virtuoso art performance, the exact purpose of the book was puzzling to Crumb fans (“It’s not a parody?!”) and religious readers (“This comic is not for kids?!”) alike. Both groups have been taken […]