Episode 293: Reviews of A Contract with God: Curator's Collection, Egg Cream #1, and Hey Kids! Comics! #1 and #2

Time Codes:

00:00:32 - Introduction

00:02:43 - Introducing Stergios Botzakis

00:06:41 - A Contract with God: Curator's Collection

00:55:55 - Egg Cream #1

01:19:04 - Hey Kids! Comics! #1 and #2

01:38:48 - Wrap up

01:40:25 - Contact us

This week The Comics Alternativegets a new cohost: Stergios Botzakis! And on his maiden voyage, Sterg becomes an integral part in discussions of three unique titles. He and Derek begin with A Contract with God: Curator's Collection(Dark Horse Books-Kitchen Sink Books). This classic of Will Eisner's is reproduced in two beautiful volumes, one with the original pencils and another with the inks. This slipcased edition is a first for the podcast, as the Two Guys have never discussed anything like an Artist's Edition or a Legacy Edition. As such, Sterg and Derek not only go through the specifics of Eisner's four stories, but they spend a lot of time talking about process, Eisner's original intentions, and the various insightful essays included in this two-volume set.

After that the Two Guys with PhDs turn to Liz Suburbia's Egg Cream#1. The digital version of this was just made available to those who supported Czap Books' Kickstarter campaignlast year (and the print version will debut at MoCCA next spring). The core of this issue is the first installment of Suburbia's Sacred Heart, Vol. 2 - Livin' in the Future, a follow-up to her 2015 work, Sacred Heart. Sterg and Derek set a context by discussing the earlier book, then they explore the contours of the new work and how it expands upon the initial presentation of Suburbia's broader narrative.

The guys wrap up with the first two issues of Howard Chaykin's Hey Kids! Comics!(Image Comics). Both Sterg and Derek are fans of Chaykin's work, although it's been a long time since his comics were discussed on the show. This is a satiric look at the history of the American comic-book history, and the guys spend some time looking at Chaykin's analogs to DC and Marvel as well as to such figures as Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Matt Baker, among many others. They also focus on the ways in which Chaykin structures his story, skipping around in time and representing a broad temporal overview, and they speculate on what Chaykin may be up to in his most recent project.