how to win the lottery: a book club podcast

the next stop in our graphic content module is asterios polyp by david mazzucchelli. after discussing how this module being defined by medium (rather than content) seems to yield great success, we talk about the singular vision and design and presentation of polyp before reading something from mazzucchelli’s wiki that totally endears him to us even more. we talk about how polyp is reminiscent of understanding comics, the surprisingly sweet moments of growth it has for asterios, and its incredible stylistic choices and flourishes. we explore the freedom of its chapter length (and mazzucchelli’s knowledge of form and when and how to break it) as well as the different audience/crowd for this book — and what that allows mazzucchelli to do.

reading list for season seven

understanding comics: the invisible art by scott mccloud

coyote doggirl by lisa hanawalt

the private eye by brian k. vaughan, marcos martin, muntsa vicente

no longer human by junji ito

the seeds by ann nocenti, david aja

bitter root by david f. walker, chuck brown, sanford greene

this one summer by mariko tamaki, jillian tamaki

asterios polyp by david mazzucchelli

kingdom come by mark waid, alex ross

prison pit by johnny ryan

ragnarok by walter simonson

we’re tackling our first young adult book this module as we’re covering this one summer by mariko tamaki and jillian tamaki. after talking about location-specific friends and family fights on vacation, we dive into the emotionally-fraught story as we tap into our love of media aimed at teen girls. shreds gets passionate about this book and describes about how the tamakis deftly get around the “adults writing child characters” issue. we discuss the joy of the art (and the joy of windy), get angry at people attempting to censor/ban art, and discuss the second-hand fear we have for these girls. we talk about adapting this book (and the character whose casting would make or break the adaptation).

reading list for season seven

understanding comics: the invisible art by scott mccloud

coyote doggirl by lisa hanawalt

the private eye by brian k. vaughan, marcos martin, muntsa vicente

no longer human by junji ito

the seeds by ann nocenti, david aja

bitter root by david f. walker, chuck brown, sanford greene

this one summer by mariko tamaki, jillian tamaki

asterios polyp by david mazzucchelli

kingdom come by mark waid, alex ross

prison pit by johnny ryan

ragnarok by walter simonson

we’re headed to 1920s harlem on this episode of lottery pod as we talk about bitter root by david f. walker, chuck brown, and sanford greene. (a fun note: heather antos worked on this book!) we talk about the incredible value of this book’s omnibus, the book’s absolutely gorgeous coloring, and how the story smartly resets for each new third. we discuss the timeliness of the narrative (and the unfortunate fact that it’s always timely) as well as the tough task (executed well in this case) of making something feel both timely and timeless. shreds talks about how this book feels like a dream gig for his childhood self. we admire the book’s many splash panels (including one doing something we hadn’t seen before) and talk about the multiple ways you can read and appreciate and re-appreciate good comic books. we wonder if there could be sequels written and whether it’s possible to adapt this narrative.

reading list for season seven

understanding comics: the invisible art by scott mccloud

coyote doggirl by lisa hanawalt

the private eye by brian k. vaughan, marcos martin, muntsa vicente

no longer human by junji ito

the seeds by ann nocenti, david aja

bitter root by david f. walker, chuck brown, sanford greene

this one summer by mariko tamaki, jillian tamaki

asterios polyp by david mazzucchelli

kingdom come by mark waid, alex ross

prison pit by johnny ryan

ragnarok by walter simonson

after covering the seeds last week, we are joined by ann nocenti, the book’s author, to talk about hexagons, fake news, and andrei tarkovsky. ann talks about the roots of the journalism in the book, how the novel’s other major themes found their way in, and what changed through the course of the development. she talks about the origin of the ending, shares storytelling advice for young writers, and how she and david aja worked together on the book’s layout and design. ann breaks down the evolution of the art style as the book developed, the book she worked on with david mazzucchelli, and how she and david aja developed the original idea for the seeds. she shares recommendations for other work to read/consume.

reading list for season seven

understanding comics: the invisible art by scott mccloud

coyote doggirl by lisa hanawalt

the private eye by brian k. vaughan, marcos martin, muntsa vicente

no longer human by junji ito

the seeds by ann nocenti, david aja

bitter root by david f. walker, chuck brown, sanford greene

this one summer by mariko tamaki, jillian tamaki

asterios polyp by david mazzucchelli

kingdom come by mark waid, alex ross

prison pit by johnny ryan

ragnarok by walter simonson

our graphic content module continues with the seeds by ann nocenti and david aja and a return to familiar subject matter. first, though, we talk about steven soderbergh for a while. then, we talk about how the seeds reminds us of the private eye, except with aliens and different ideological divides among its characters. we talk about the book’s 90s feel re: aliens and accompanying aesthetics, the thematic appropriateness of the art, and the seemingly optimistic ending. we bring up the oft-discussed eco module. joey asks shreds about a new (to him) book website. we wonder what the “right” speed at which to read and consume and spend with comics may be.

reading list for season seven

understanding comics: the invisible art by scott mccloud

coyote doggirl by lisa hanawalt

the private eye by brian k. vaughan, marcos martin, muntsa vicente

no longer human by junji ito

the seeds by ann nocenti, david aja

bitter root by david f. walker, chuck brown, sanford greene

this one summer by mariko tamaki, jillian tamaki

asterios polyp by david mazzucchelli

kingdom come by mark waid, alex ross

prison pit by johnny ryan

ragnarok by walter simonson

our graphic content season continues with no longer human by junji ito, which marks our first foray into manga. we explore the medium (including our overall unfamiliarity with it, despite its global prominence) and how no longer human‘s original publication specifically targeted adult men (and how this manifests itself in the story). we analyze how the book unknowingly returns to several of our show’s ongoing themes, we discuss the soap opera-esque structure and (intentionally) repetitive style of the narrative, and we wonder if the book presents a bit of a genre fakeout. joey offers up a surprising association for the protagonist. shreds proposes a spinoff podcast.

reading list for season seven

understanding comics: the invisible art by scott mccloud

coyote doggirl by lisa hanawalt

the private eye by brian k. vaughan, marcos martin, muntsa vicente

no longer human by junji ito

the seeds by ann nocenti, david aja

bitter root by david f. walker, chuck brown, sanford greene

this one summer by mariko tamaki, jillian tamaki

asterios polyp by david mazzucchelli

kingdom come by mark waid, alex ross

prison pit by johnny ryan

ragnarok by walter simonson

after covering the private eye last week, our first interview this season comes with the book’s illustrator, marcos martin, as we continue to figure out how to talk about art on the pod. we discuss the way (and the speed at which) marcos works, the machinations of the page layout/format (and the process of adapting it for the physical release), and the idea behind forming panel syndicate and the plan for the book’s original release. we ask marcos about the process of determining what could/would survive the cloudburst, determining the way this book looks, and their views on tech optimism vs. pessimism. marcos tells us how he and brian met and began working together, how he decided when and where to place the credits page, and which piece of art from the book is his favorite. marcos shares his recommendations for related content to read/watch before we form a connection on his wikipedia lie.

reading list for season seven

understanding comics: the invisible art by scott mccloud

coyote doggirl by lisa hanawalt

the private eye by brian k. vaughan, marcos martin, muntsa vicente

no longer human by junji ito

the seeds by ann nocenti, david aja

bitter root by david f. walker, chuck brown, sanford greene

this one summer by mariko tamaki, jillian tamaki

asterios polyp by david mazzucchelli

kingdom come by mark waid, alex ross

prison pit by johnny ryan

ragnarok by walter simonson

our graphic content module continues with the private eye by brian k. vaughan, marcos martin, muntsa vicente, which looks like a “more traditional comic” (read: superhero comic) and feels like a classic noir. we discuss archaic/obsolete tech (including joey’s beloved zune), the book’s unusual layout/format, and whether the story is cynical or optimistic in the way it discusses technology. we talk about the grandfather character as a kind of audience surrogate, the pros/cons of a world without internet, and the book’s violence and most shocking moments. shreds talks about his desire for things to justify why they’re not prose. we explore the idea of journalists acting as cops. we look back at the book’s original release as a “pay what you want” online drop.

reading list for season seven

understanding comics: the invisible art by scott mccloud

coyote doggirl by lisa hanawalt

the private eye by brian k. vaughan, marcos martin, muntsa vicente

no longer human by junji ito

the seeds by ann nocenti, david aja

bitter root by david f. walker, chuck brown, sanford greene

this one summer by mariko tamaki, jillian tamaki

asterios polyp by david mazzucchelli

kingdom come by mark waid, alex ross

prison pit by johnny ryan

ragnarok by walter simonson

it’s a surprise bonus episode in our graphic content module as we cover gender queer by maia kobabe, one of the most banned/challenged books this year. the graphic novel memoir covers some serious content, so we open with some absolute nonsense before we dive into our discussion. shreds again gets heated talking about banned books before returning to his favorite topic: the exploration and use of language. we discuss the value and lessons found in the book, what we learned from the text, and the irony of banning books. we talk about the art style in gender queer and how reading it reminds us of 2010s tumblr.

reading list for season seven

understanding comics: the invisible art by scott mccloud

coyote doggirl by lisa hanawalt

the private eye by brian k. vaughan, marcos martin, muntsa vicente

no longer human by junji ito

the seeds by ann nocenti, david aja

bitter root by david f. walker, chuck brown, sanford greene

this one summer by mariko tamaki, jillian tamaki

asterios polyp by david mazzucchelli

kingdom come by mark waid, alex ross

prison pit by johnny ryan

ragnarok by walter simonson

our graphic content module kicks off in earnest with coyote doggirl by lisa hanawalt. after shreds shares a bone he has to pick with joey, we explore lisa hanawalt’s connection to bojack horseman before spending a while complimenting the beautiful art on display and how well it (wordlessly) communicates information. we talk about coyote doggirl‘s ability to both lean into and subvert western tropes, its emotional depth, and its wonderful absurdist humor. shreds shares his one real critique of the book, we talk about the simpsons and voice actors (and draw unfortunate blanks), and make an official request to get more coyote doggirl.

reading list for season seven

understanding comics: the invisible art by scott mccloud

coyote doggirl by lisa hanawalt

the private eye by brian k. vaughan, marcos martin, muntsa vicente

no longer human by junji ito

the seeds by ann nocenti, david aja

bitter root by david f. walker, chuck brown, sanford greene

this one summer by mariko tamaki, jillian tamaki

asterios polyp by david mazzucchelli

kingdom come by mark waid, alex ross

prison pit by johnny ryan

ragnarok by walter simonson