The Captioned Life Show

Dark Horse Comics recently published the trade paperback of the popular comic series We Only Kill Each Other by Stephanie Phillips, Peter Krause, Ellie Wright, and Troy Peteri. Sean and Kevin had a chance to speak to the artist on the series, Peter Krause, about his work and career highlights before taking a deep dive into what went into making this crime noir thriller. They discuss everything from cars and fashion to the parallels the story has with our modern socio-political climate. Then, they wrap it all up with a trivia game about 1930s-era gangster films. 

• Episode #59 “We Only Kill Each Other With Peter Krause”
• Dark Horse Comics, "We Only Kill Each Other"
• Peter Krause's Twitter Handle, @PeterGKrause
• Peter Krause’s website, "Peter Krause Illustration”
• The Captioned Life Show website

Peter Krause is a graduate of the University of Minnesota, with a B.A. in both journalism and studio arts. He has previously worked full-time as an artist for DC Comics where he drew Captain Marvel, Superman, and other DC superheroes as well as the series “Star Trek: The Next Generation”, “He also co-created the comic Irredeemable with Mark Waid at Boom Studios as well as the art on My Bad and Dragonfly and Dragonfly Man at Ahoy Comics. He’s worked extensively as a storyboard and concept artist. His most recent work is from Dark Horse Comics, series entitled, “We Only Kill Each Other,” which was also written by Stephanie Phillips, colored by Ellie Wright, and letters by Troy Peteri.

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People always discuss who our favorite heroes are and which villains we hate, but Sean and Kevin decided to flip the script and talk about their favorite villains and the villains they loathe. From Magneto and Bane to Howard the Duck and Cyclops, no character is safe from the love and wrath of our hosts. 

• Episode #46 Batman
• The Captioned Life Show website

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Eisner Award nominee and comic book writer/artist Ibrahim Moustafa join the show to talk about his upcoming graphic novel, Retroactive. We chat about what he’s been doing since he was last on our show, the work he did on Marvel’s Wastelanders: Wolverine, and the exciting opportunities and challenges in writing his newest time-travel thriller graphic novel from Humanoids Publishing. To celebrate his new book, we played a game of Retro Action, where Ibrahim and Sean go head-to-head to guess the name of terribly awful action movies.  

• The Captioned Life Show website
• Order “Retroactive” from Humanoids
• Ibrahim Moustafa’s website
• Ibrahim Moustafa’s Twitter, @Ibrahim_M_
• Ibrahim Moustafa’s Instagram, @ibrahim_m_art
• Episode #30 “Count With Ibrahim Moustafa”

Ibrahim Moustafa is an illustrator and Eisner Award-nominated comic book writer/artist. His work has been published by Marvel Comics, DC Entertainment, Image Comics, Humanoids Inc., BOOM! Studios, Valiant Entertainment, Dynamite Entertainment, Dark Horse Comics, and IDW Publishing. He’s here to talk about his new original graphic novel, Retroactive.

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Educator and author Tim Smyth joined the show to talk about how he’s taught with comics in his classroom over a 20-year teaching career. Tim shares how he got started using comics, the different ways they can be employed in the classroom, and the experiences that led him to write his new book, Teaching With Comics and Graphic Novels. The team also has a little fun debating what superhero they’d love to take a class from if superheroes taught high school. It’s an insightful conversation about what makes comics a powerful educational tool with someone all comic fans wish was their history teacher in school.

• Tim Smyth’s website, “History Comics and Comics in Education”
• Tim’s upcoming book, “Teaching With Comics and Graphic Novels” (Routeledge)”
• Order Tim’s Book On Amazon, “Teaching With Comics and Graphic Novels”

Tim Smyth, the author of Teaching With Comics and Graphic Novels: fun and engaging strategies to improve close reading and critical thinking in every classroom, is a high school social studies educator and reading specialist of 20+ years who travels the country giving professional development to educators on the power of teaching with comics. His workshops have been given at comic book conventions, state and national education conferences, school districts, libraries, universities, and museums. Smyth was also part of a global online comics in education program through the US State Department, proving that comics are truly universal. He has been published in many outlets, such as PBS, and also shares many resources on his website, TeachingWithComics.com. Smyth loves interacting on social media and is the founder of two Facebook education communities - "Comic Book Teachers" and "Teaching With Comics". Most importantly, he is also the father of three children who all grew to love reading through comics.

• Tim’s website, “History Comics and Comics in Education”
• Tim’s Social Media Accounts:
• Twitter - @historycomics
• Instagram - @historycomics
• YouTube - Tim Smyth
• Facebook Group “Comic Book Teachers”
• Facebook Group, “Teaching With Comics”

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CAUTION: This episode contains spoilers for “The Batman”.

With the new release of the highly anticipated film “The Batman” directed by Matt Reeves and starring Robert Pattinson, Zoe Kravitz, Paul Dano, Colin Farrell, and Jeffrey Wright, host Sean and special guest Michael Rothman, who is an entertainment reporter and writer, had a chance to review the movie together. They discussed the strong aspects of the film, where it could be improved, and even shared aspects of the film that the others may have missed. Together they look at the film overall, the art of it as a film, the character portrayal, and what they would like to see in future films of The Batmanverse.

• “The Batman” website
• Sean’s Review of “The Batman” for Comic Watch
• Rotten Tomatoes Score of “The Batman”
• IMDb and Metascore ratings of “The Batman”
• Deadline article, “‘The Batman’ 128M+ Opening Reps Warner Bros’ Biggest During Pandemic Era, Best Debut For Matt Reeves - Sunday Update”
• Batman The Court Of Owls Story Run
• “Before The Batman” novel
• “Episode #55 Batman Films With Michael Rothman”

Michael Rothman has spent almost a decade in the entertainment space for ABC News and Good Morning America, writing about Marvel and DC, including superhero shows, books, and movies.

While at ABC, Michael hosted the digital show, "Inside Marvel," a look into the inner workings and major developments in the superhero genre. He also collaborated with Lucasfilm and Disney on several other projects.

More recently, he's taken to platforms like TikTok, under the name SuperheroTok, to continue to dive further into the world that he loves and to connect and collaborate with like-minded fans.

He enjoys long walks on the beach, a good cigar, a solid Punisher storyline, and snuggling with his dog Leia Bagel. 

• Facebook - /michael.rothman
• Instagram - @michaelrothman
• TikTok - @SuperHeroTok
• Twitter - @TheRealRothman
• Website - Michael Rothman

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In anticipation of the new DC/Warner Bros. film, “The Batman,” Sean and Kevin are joined by entertainment writer and reporter Michael Rothman to talk about the history of Batman on film. They cover a range of topics from the popularity of the Caped Crusader to the appeal of his Rogues Gallery. They also dish on their favorite big-screen version of Batman, as well their favorite bat gadgets and vehicles. If you’re a fan of the Dark Knight, excited about the upcoming film, or just want to hear 3 guys talk about one of the world’s most beloved superheroes, you should definitely tune in for the fun.

• What Makes Batman A Popular Superhero In Movies?
• Which Batman Movie Has Set The Standard For Batman Films?
• What Are Some Of The Most Memorable Batman Characters/Scenes?
• Favorite Batman films from the hosts and social media
• Spoiler-free review from Michael Rothman about "The Batman"

• List of live-action Batman films
• Sean’s TikTok Video About How “Batman & Robin” Was Worse Than He Remembered

Michael Rothman has spent almost a decade in the entertainment space for ABC News and Good Morning America, writing about Marvel and DC, including superhero shows, books, and movies.

While at ABC, Michael hosted the digital show, "Inside Marvel," a look into the inner workings and major developments in the superhero genre. He also collaborated with Lucasfilm and Disney on several other projects.

More recently, he's taken to platforms like TikTok, under the name SuperheroTok, to continue to dive further into the world that he loves and to connect and collaborate with like-minded fans.

He enjoys long walks on the beach, a good cigar, a solid Punisher storyline, and snuggling with his dog Leia Bagel. 

• Facebook - /michael.rothman
• Instagram - @michaelrothman
• TikTok - @SuperHeroTok
• Twitter - @TheRealRothman
• Website - Michael Rothman

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Kevin and Sean speak with comic author and illustrator Alan Brooks. They discuss Alan’s latest work, Grieving Mall and how he approaches important social topics in his writing. He also shares his message on pursuing creative endeavors and plays a fun time capsule game with the hosts. This is a great listen for all comics fans, but especially anyone chasing the dream of creating their own.

• Alan’s Origin Story
• The Creative Partnership that lead to The Grieving Mall
• Bringing awareness to social issues through comic stories
• Alan teases his next project Baker’s Duckling
• Name That Time-A Time Capsule Trivia Game

• Grieving Mall Comic
• Alan's TEDTalk, "When the world is burning, is art a waste of time?"
• Subscribe to “The Captioned Life Podcast”
• The Captioned Life Podcast website

R. Alan Brooks teaches graphic novel writing for Regis University’s MFA program, and Lighthouse Writers Workshop. He’s the author of “The Burning Metronome” and “Anguish Garden” - graphic novels featuring social commentary. His award-winning weekly comic for The Colorado Sun, “What’d I Miss?” has been praised for its direct engagement with social issues. His TED Talk on the importance of art reached 1 million views in 2 months. His graphic novel work is featured in the Denver Art Museum's renovated Western exhibit. He hosts the Denver Museum of Contemporary Art's "How Art Is Born" podcast, as well as his own “MotherF—-r In A Cape” comics podcast, and has written comic books for Pop Culture Classroom, Zenescope Entertainment, and more.

• R. Alan Brooks’ Website
• R. Alan Brooks’ Instagram
• R. Alan Brooks’ Twitter

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Recently, the McMinn County school board in Tennessee decided to ban the classroom use of the graphic novel Maus, which depicts a firsthand account of the Holocaust via anthropomorphic animals. The decision was met with criticism across the United States and has been the subject of extensive news coverage, as well as social media mentions. It has also led to a surge of the book back to the top of numerous best-seller lists and even selling out on Amazon. In this episode of The Captioned Life Podcast, Sean and Kevin talk with educator Jill Gerber, and the Coalition Coordinator for Banned Books Week at the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, Betsy Gomez, to discuss the controversy and its impact on teachers, students, parents, and beyond. This is a timely conversation about the relevance of graphic novels as educational literature and the alarming trend of banning non-traditional texts from school libraries and curricula.

Jill Gerber is an award-winning K-12 educator of twenty years and a longtime advocate of graphic literature in the curriculum to reach all learners. In addition to presenting workshops on the integration of comics in the classroom, she cowrites about innovative viewpoints on comics and KidLit in education on the blog, Perceptive Gaze. She teaches at Rowland Hall in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Betsy Gomez is the Banned Books Week Coalition coordinator and former editorial director for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, a nonprofit organization dedicated to defending the First Amendment rights of the comics community. Gomez manages resources, programming, and editorial content for bannedbooksweek.org and advises CBLDF on educational and free expression matters. Gomez is the editor of CBLDF’s book about the women who changed free expression in comics, CBLDF Presents: She Changed Comics. With an extensive background in educational publishing, Gomez has worked as a content developer and editor for several companies, including Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Pearson Education, among others. Gomez’s work combines her love of comics with her passion for education and the right to read.

• Jill’s Twitter, @GerberJill
• Jill’s website, Perceptive Gaze
• Comic Book Legal Defense Fund website
• Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Case Study: Maus
• Newsweek article, “Pulitzer-Winning Graphic Novel ‘Maus’ Banned by Tennessee School Board for Language, Nudity”
• Meeting Minutes - McMinn County School Board, January 10th, 2022
• The Captioned Life Podcast website

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Sean and Kevin sit down to talk about comics with writer and YouTuber Kat Calamia. We discuss some of her recent work including the creator-owned project, The Dancer, and the Kickstarter campaign for her comic anthology, Bi Visibility. We get a chance to get serious on topics like LGBTQ+ representation in comics, but we also save a little room from silly by playing a fun trivia game at the end. 

Kat Calamia is a bisexual comic book writer for Like Father, Like Daughter and They Call Her…The Dancer. She’s also known for her comic book and TV journalism through her YouTube channel, Comic Uno, who currently works for Newsarama and DC Universe with bylines with IGN, Fandom, and TV Guide.

She has a Bachelor’s degree in Communications and a minor in Journalism through Marymount Manhattan and an MFA in Writing and Producing Television from LIU Brooklyn.

• Kat Calamia Twitter: @ComicUno
• Kat Calamia Instagram: @KatComicUno
• Kat Calamia YouTube: Comic Uno
• Bi Visibility Comic
• KICKSTARTER: The Dancer
• The Captioned Life Podcast website

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Looking back on 2021 and looking forward to 2022, Kevin and Sean discuss the highs and lows that movies, tv shows, and comics took us to during the year and put together a list of the best and worst. Find out if Spider-Man, Wonder Woman, Free Guy, Venom, Hawkeye, Shang Chi, and James Bond ended up on our favorite or least favorite list for 2021, and hear what the guys are most excited about for the year ahead.

• MOVIE REVIEW: Spider-Man No Way Home
• MOVIE REVIEW: Mortal Kombat (2021)
• The Captioned Life Podcast website

Give us a rating and review either on our website, Apple Podcasts, or on Podchaser. If you like what we're doing, give us a shoutout on your social media and tag us @captionedlife and we'll make sure to include it and thank you in a future episode! Until next time!

• Kevin Stahlecker - Cohost, producer, Gamemaster
• Sean Winningham - Cohost, producer, media editor
• Image used in show: "Comic Books" by Steven Miller, used under CC BY 2.0 / Desaturated from original.

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