Speech Bubble

Aaron journeys to Inkwell's End, the home and studio of Canadian award-winning cartoonist Seth (Palookaville, Clyde Fans, It's a Good Life If You Don't Weaken, Wimbledon Green, George Sprott) in Guelph, Ontario Canada. In doing so, he steps into a time-warp and a space Seth best describes as, “post war-kitsch.” Think your grandma's house if the furniture was still pristine, the radio still worked and toys from the early 20th century lined the walls. It's all just another aspect of the extremely well-crafted and curated personal brand that is Seth – a man who consciously harkens back to a certain formality in the way he dresses and conducts himself. Seth reveals how his love of this early 20th century aesthetic is rooted in his relationship with his older parents. He also discusses what it was like to not like who he was as a young person and consciously build a new identity for himself. Then, what he went through training others to accept that new identity. Even now he struggles with being an attention seeker who doesn't like attention. A true iconoclast, Seth details his artistic influences in comics, but also emphasizes the importance of having artistic works that aren't for public consumption. Meanwhile, Seth is constantly interrogating his own artistic process and deeply questions why he likes what he does and why he does what he does at all times. This episode sponsored by Hairy Tarantula.

Drawn and Quarterly (Seth's publisher)

A video tour of Inkwell's End (Macleans Magazine)

Seth's Dominion (A National Film Board of Canada documentary on Seth)

Mr. X (Vortex Publishing)

Renann Isaacs Gallery of Contemporary Art

Every. Now. Then: Reframing Nationhood (an exhibition featuring Seth at the Art Gallery of Ontario June 29 – February 18, 2017)

Crown Barbershop (Owned and operated by Seth's wife Tania Van Spyk)

Seth's Influences Mentioned:

Love and Rockets

The New Yorker Cartoons (Peter Arno, Charles Addams, etc.)

Episode Sponsor:

Hairy Tarantula

Inspired by Robert Crumb, Crad Kilodney, Art Spiegelman, Seth and other alternative cartoonists, Chester Brown uses his autobiographical comics work to confront issues that he's currently wrestling with or make him uncomfortable. Whether it was the use of scatological humour in Ed the Happy Clown, his relationship with women and his own mother in I Never Liked You or his journey to becoming a John in Paying For It, it's easier for him to unpack his own hang ups when they're made public. Brown talks about how he initially broke into comics with the self-published Yummy Fur, why his art style owes a lot to Harold Gray, the man who behind the Little Orphan Annie comic strip and why being a John makes him more comfortable than being a boyfriend, even though his current arrangement isn't all that different from the traditional relationship he's trying to avoid. Plus, Brown teaches Aaron how he deals with negative self-talk and criticism of his work.

Chester Brown's Patreon

Drawn and Quarterly (Chester's Publisher)

NPR Review of Chester's Latest, “Mary Wept Over the Feet of Jesus”

Yummy Fur on Wikipedia

@DrawnandQuarterly

Philosophers that inspire Chester:

Robert Anton Wilson

Colin Wislon

Byron Katie

This Episode is Sponsored By Hairy Tarantula!

The Beguiling Books & Art is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2017, so Aaron welcomes its current owner Peter Birkemoe and outgoing shop manager and current Toronto Comic Art Festival artistic director Christopher Butcher. Together they trace the shop's history from its beginnings on Harbord Street to its current status as Toronto's destination for independent comics. We discuss how both Chris and Peter grew to mostly detest mainstream superhero comics in favour of the more intellectual and independent fare, before discussing the evolution of the Toronto Comics Art Festival from a small comic convention in the Honest Ed's store parking lot to a showcase of comic art from around the world at the Toronto Reference Library. This conversation finds The Beguiling in a state of transition, as they just moved from their long time location in Toronto's Mirvish Village to a new location on College Street. If that weren't enough, Chris is leaving his post as store manager to become Viz Media's man in Canada. Needless to say, there's lots to talk about. This episode is sponsored by Hairy Tarantula.

@peterbirkemoe

@Comics212

@TheBeguiling

TheBeguiling.com

Chris's Website

Page & Panel Online Shop

Toronto Comic Art Festival

Episode Sponsor: Hairy Tarantula

Alfonso Espinos was born and raised in Mexico where, over 20 years ago, he launched Studio Comix Press to self-publish The Night Spike, a cartoon, superhero parody comic. It could've just been another obscure Spanish-language imprint, but then he met his wife and moved to Kitchener, Ontario where things got a lot more challenging. The jokes in The Night Spike didn't immediately properly translate from Spanish to English, so he sat watching Canada's Comedy Network for hours taking notes just to understand Canada's sense of humour. His drive did not end there. Most comic creators rest on one successful comic, but now there's 12 being published under the Studio Comix Press banner. Espinos didn't rest on his laurels there either. He prints comics for fellow creators, including some non-Cerebus work from Dave Sim, produces educational colouring and activity books for children and will soon open a comic shop selling only Canadian independent comics. How does he do it all? Listen and find out. This episode is sponsored by Hairy Tarantula. Want to win some Studio Comix Press comics? Like or Follow @SpeechBubblePod on social media and comment #StudioComixPress for your chance to win.

@studiocomix

Studio Comix Press's Official Website

Studio Comix Press's Instagram

Studio Comix Press's Facebook Page

The Night Spike

Heroes Manufactured starring Alfonso Espinos

Alfonso Espinos's Heroes Manufactured bio

Andrew Thomas lucked out. Just as his indie comic Post-Human (kind of Inspector Gadget meets film noir) was disintegrating because of creative differences with the writer, the Northern Ontario Comicon in Timmins, Ontario contacted him about developing an ongoing superhero series featuring its mascot – an anthropomorphic lion in medieval garb named Auric of the Great White North. The local media latched on to the hero they could finally call their own and the title has been a hit ever since -- already on issue three and having made multiple printings of the prior issue zero mini comic. Meanwhile, as a talented and fast letterer, he soon found himself lettering all the comics printed by Chapterhouse Publishing, including Captain Canuck, Northguard, Freelance, The Pitiful Human-Lizard and Agents of P.A.C.T. to name a few. He even gets to illustrate a variant cover or two for them now and then (not a bad gig). We talk about all of it, as well as why it's so important to spread comic book culture through small town Ontario. This Episode is sponsored by Hairy Tarantula.

Andrew's Site

@mr_andrewthomas

post-human

Auric of The Great White North

Chapterhouse Publishing

Episode Sponsor: Hairy Tarantula

As the co-creator of Bitch Planet, comic artist Valentine De Landro gets to explore intersectional feminism and build a world representing all kinds of women of all kinds of races, minorities and body types, a far cry from his days as an African-Canadian comic fan when he didn't often see himself represented and had to tolerate a spate of heroes with “Black” in front of their name. We talk about that awkwardness and the eerie way Bitch Planet's second arc began to allude to Hilary Clinton's defeat in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election without really meaning to. While De Landro thanks fans for their overwhelming support of the series and the way they've created a family in the comic book's back matter, we openly wonder whether society is really as woke as it purports to be with incidents like the shooting of Philandro Castile still happening at an alarming frequency. This episode sponsored by Hairy Tarantula.

@val_delandro (Twitter)

@val_delandro (Instagram)

Valentine's Website

Bitch Planet's website

The Pushpin (Buy a Valentine De Landro print)

Milk Fed (Kelly Sue Deconnick's company)

Image's Bitch Planet Page

#noncompliant

#visiblewomen (send your portfolio to Kelly Sue Deconnick)

Episode Sponsor: Hairy Tarantula

Sarafin is the writer and artist behind the independent webcomic and graphic novel series Asylum Squad. The fictional story is very loosely inspired by Sarafin’s own experiences during a year an in-patient facility where she was receiving treatment for mental illness and follows four teenage patients drafted into an experimental drug trial that allows them to battle their inner demons like a psychiatric Justice League. This episode delves into what lead to Sarafin being institutionalized and why she began her comic as an outlet for what she was experiencing. We also explain the Mad Pride movement and why Sara considers herself a mad-identified person as an unintentional celebrity within that community. You will also learn why those who’ve gone through the mental health system often have a problem with Bell Let’s Talk Day – a mental health awareness day and fundraiser spearheaded by one of Canada’s leading telecommunications companies. This episode is sponsored by Hairy Tarantula.

@Asylum_Squad

The Asylum Squad Webcomic

Buy Asylum Squad Graphic Novels

Asylum Squad Facebook Page

Asylum Squad: Code White (The Asylum Squad Video Game)

Carl Jung’s Shadow Self (inspiration for Asylum Squad: Jung Ones)

Episode Sponsor: Hairy Tarantula

We all remember the original 1967 Spider-Man cartoon (you know the one with the catchy theme song) but did you know that all the dialogue for the series was recorded in Toronto and Paul Soles, the voice of Peter Parker/Spider-Man, is not only still around, but still acting at 86-years-young as the star of the new CBC Comedy web series, My 90-year-old Roommate? The legend comes by to spill secrets from the production of Spider-Man, including the fact that the voice acting company for all the original Marvel cartoons – Spider-Man, The Hulk, Captain America, Iron Man, Marvel Superheroes and more – was originally put together during the production of the Rankin/Bass stop-motion animation classic Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer where Paul starred as Hermey the Elf. Fast forward into the 2000s and Paul inadvertently found himself a member of the Marvel Cinematic Universe thanks to a live-action bit part in 2008's The Incredible Hulk and a prior relationship with star Edward Norton. This episode of Speech Bubble is sponsored by Hairy Tarantula.

Paul Soles' bio – The Canadian Encyclopedia

Paul Soles' IMDB

Spider-Man (1967) – Full Episodes

My 90-year-old Roommate – CBC Comedy

Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer 1964 TV Special (Full Movie)

Paul Soles and Edward Norton (The Incredible Hulk deleted scene)

The Score – Robert De Niro, Edward Norton, Marlon Brando and Paul Soles (Full Movie)

Paul Soles CBC Interview (1987)

CBC's Take 30 – Adrienne Clarkson and Paul Soles in Swingin' London (1966)

As regular listeners to this podcast will know, it’s no secret that our host is a huge Sandman fan and works in a Sandman reference in almost every episode. So when he heard Nicholas Brown and Evan Henderson were making a 35-minute fan film adapting Sandman #6: “24 Hours” called Sandman: 24-hour Diner, Aaron had to have them on the show. The film screens on June 25, 2017 at 7 p.m. at Toronto’s Royal Cinema. Then, at midnight, it will be released on Vimeo for the whole world to see. This episode of Speech Bubble serves as a primer for the movie, with behind-the-scenes tidbits, cool on set anecdotes and the story of how the film got made, as only the filmmakers can bring it to you. Plus, learn about Evan’s weird connection to Neil Gaiman and why Ken Lashley (X-Men Prime) was an early mentor to him. This episode sponsored by Hairy Tarantula.

Sandman: 24-Hour Diner Trailer

BlogTO’s Sandman: 24-Hour Diner Screening Announcement

Sandman: 24-Hour Diner Official Facebook Page

Sandman #6 "24 Hours" Digital Comic

Sandman: 24-Hour Diner Facebook Event

Comic Book Resources names Sandman #6 "24 Hours" scariest comic

Sandman #6 DC Comics Wiki Page

Shot at Ted's Restaurant

Episode Sponsor: Hairy Tarantula

Nug Nahrgang’s success as an award-winning sketch comedian and improviser seems like a series of stumbled upon happenstances. First, Nug accidentally got himself hired at Second City, then he somehow scored an audition for Saturday Night Live! He scored memorable bit parts in The Love Guru with Mike Meyers and Owning Mahowny with the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, both at a time when he was sure his scenes would be left on the cutting room floor. Nug has managed to meet Vince McMahon, and William Shatner, and improvise on stage with legends like Colin Mocherie, Catherine O’Hara, and Martin Short. Through it all, his status as a dyed-in-the-wool comic book and sci-fi geek have served him well. He puts together the Illusionoid podcast with fellow improvisers Paul Bates and Lee Smart. Illusionoid is a completely improvised old-timey sci-fi radio play that operates with nothing but the episode title as a suggestion. Nug and the Illusionoid gang will be performing at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema as part of a live episode of CBC’s Podcast Playlist on June 15, 2017 at 6:30 p.m. This episode is sponsored by Hairy Tarantula.

@NugNahrgang

Nug's IMDB Page

Illusionoid

Podcast Playlist Live

Nug on Instagram

The Minnesota Wrecking Crew with Kids in the Hall's Kevin McDonald