The Comics Alternative

Gwen and Derek are back with another publisher spotlight episode, this one on the UK press, Avery Hill Publishing. They begin their spotlight with a short interview with the people behind Avery Hill: Ricky Miller, Dave White, and Katriona Chapman. Derek talks with them about the origins of the press, the kind of creators that have come to define Avery Hill, their distribution and publicity outside of the UK, and their plans for fall releases and beyond.

After that conversation, Gwen and Derek get into the nitty gritty of the publisher's current offerings. They start by looking at the most recent issues of two ongoing series from Avery Hill, Reads #4 and Metroland #3. The former is an anthology periodical currently in its second volume, and the two discuss its various serialized storylines. Gwen is particularly fond of Owen D. Pomery's "The Megatherium Club," but they also discuss Reads other historically based stories -- Ricky Miller and Tim Bird's "Hitchcock and Film" as well as Bird and Luke James Halsall's "The Bullpen" (inspired by Marvel Comics in the early 1960s) -- and the colorful, offbeat comics of EdieOP. The most recent issue of Metroland continues the drama behind Ricky Miller and Julia Scheele's fictional 1980s band, Electric Dreams, and while discussing this evolving narrative, Derek and Gwen even wax nostalgic over their own musical histories growing up during that time.

Next, they discuss three new books released this spring. A City Inside is yet another work from Tillie Walden -- she's become a singular force at Avery Hill -- and this one is a measured, meditative look at self-identity with an almost poetic tone. Rachel Smith's Artificial Flowers does to the London art scene what Miller and Scheele's Metroland does with the city post-punk. Both the artist's unassuming premise and her clean, iconic art style easily draw Gwen and Derek into this fun story. And then finally, the cohosts wrap up with the latest book in Matthew Swan's Parsley Girl series. Neither Derek nor Gwen had been familiar with Swan's work previously, but Parsley Girl: Carrots proves to be a good introduction into his weird and almost psychedelic narrative world.

Overall, both Gwen and Derek find a lot of excitement behind this young press. Avery Hill may be just now getting a foothold in the US market -- thanks to its recent distribution agreement with Retrofit/Big Planet -- but as this episode demonstrates, it's definitely a publisher worth watching.

This month’s show includes a review of two recently released graphic novels, John Patrick Green’s Hippopotamister (First Second) and Steven T. Seagle and Jason Adam Katzenstein’s Camp Midnight (Image Comics), as well as interviews Andy conducted at the first-ever Anne Arundel County (Maryland) Public Library Comic Con, held on May 14. At this event, Andy had the chance to speak to a number of young readers, as well as their parents, about their favorite comics and about their own work as budding comics creators.

At the beginning of the podcast, Andy reads an email that comics writer Samuel Teer wrote to him and Gwen regarding their October 2015 review of Veda: Assembly Required (Dark Horse), an all-ages comic that he wrote in collaboration with artist Hyeondo Park and colorist Kelly Fitzpatrick. Samuel was kind enough to thank the two for their positive review of the book and mentioned that the two people with PhDs gave him some helpful suggestions for future works. (Glad to oblige, Samuel! Keep those great comics coming!)

First up in the review segment is Hippopotamister, a title that both Gwen and Andy can say three times fast and recommend three times over. This graphic novel for younger readers provides a humorous, carefully-crafted story about the way that two friends, Red Panda and Hippo, enter into the “human world” in order to find jobs, after their city zoo falls into disrepair. Red Panda, who leaves the enclosure first and returns with tales of his exciting forays into the world of work, encourages his friend to join him, but he cautions, “amongst the humans you can no longer be just a hippopotamus. You must become…HIPPOPOTAMISTER!” What follows is a tour through occupations that help Hippopotamister and Red Panda figure out their natural talents. Of course, complications arise on these friends’ paths to self-understanding and a regular paycheck, but both end up finding work that suits them well.

In addition to praising the color work of Cat Caro, Andy highlights one of the funniest splash pages in the comic that depicts Hippopotamister’s invention of a new hairstyle entitled “The Hippopompadour.” Gwen loves the whimsy of that scene and notes that, in addition to creating vibrant splash pages, Green excels at planting small details across the entire graphic novel that are clearly put there for the amusement of adult or middle grade readers. For instance, the restaurant where Red Panda and Hippopotamister try their hand at being sous chefs is called “Trattoria Della Bestia,” a name that draws a fine line between those animals that prepare the food versus those who serve as the meal. Andy and Gwen also point out the effectiveness of Green’s images in moving the narration along. As Andy puts it, a beginning reader could figure out the action of the story, even if s/he couldn’t read all of the words, yet the wordplay throughout the comic underscores the fine balance that Green achieves in his comics artistry.

Next, Gwen and Andy discuss Camp Midnight, a collaboration between longtime friends Steven T. Seagle, a TV writer/producer and comic-book author, and Jason Adam Katzenstein, a cartoonist whose work regularly appears in The New Yorker. Their colorful and sophisticated all-ages comic follows Skye Sullivan, a disgruntled tween, who boards the wrong bus and ends up at a summer camp where everyone but her new friend, Mia, sheds their daytime human exteriors in order to reveal their true monster identities. At first, Skye wants nothing more than to head back home, but she finds herself drawn to Griffin, a boy worthy of “cute guy alerts,” and she wants to figure out why Mia is also something of an outcast at Camp Midnight.

Both Gwen and Andy comment on the powerful, saturated colors employed throughout the comic, as well as the realistic depiction of all of the joys and pitfalls of living away from home with a group of kids who are all too eager to form cliques and exclude outsiders. Like Hippopotamister, Skye learns a great deal about herself and then uses that knowledge to help a good friend. Gwen and Andy highly recommend Camp Midnight to tweens and teens, alike, though adults may also enjoy the coy humor and fantastic line style that carries across the text.

For this interview episode, Derek talks with Arvind Ethan David about his current work on the IDW miniseries, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency: A Spoon Too Short. He writes that title, working with Ilias Kyriazis on art, and he was the editor of last year's earlier Dirk Gently series. Arvind talks with Derek extensively about his fascination with this unorthodox detective, his association with the late Douglas Adams, and the curious road he traveled to get into comics. A Spoon Too Short isn't an outright adaptation of any of Adams's novels, although its title springs from an alternative title the writer had been considering for a book he was working on at the time of his death. And fans of Douglas Adams will recognize in the comic plenty of allusions to novelist's body of work. Arvind also shares some inside information -- at least, what he's able to disclose -- about the new Dirk Gently BBC series that will begin this fall, where he will work with Max Landis to bring the Adams character to television for the second time. The guys also discuss the upcoming Darkness Visible, an original comics series that Arvind is writing with Mike Carey and that will be coming out from IDW later this year. This is a busy time for the solicitor/producer/editor/writer, but in this interview Arvind takes the time to share his experiences and whet listeners' appreciation for the interconnectedness of all things.

On this episode of the interview series, Derek is excited to talk with Jordan Crane. The latest installment of Jordan's series, Uptight, was released by Fantagraphics earlier this year, and the two begin by discussing its contents and how issue #5 is notably different from the previous ones. First off, this is a much longer issue than usual, and Jordan explains that since it's been three and a half years since issue #4, he felt the need to include more material in this latest release. In fact, there are four stories, or segments of stories, that compose Uptight #5, one of the most significant being an update of Jordan's serialized narrative, "Keeping Two." They spend a good deal time discussing this project and the various ways in which Jordan represents consciousness through visual means. Derek also asks his guest about the somber nature of the stories "Wake Up" and "The Dark Nothing." Jordan admits that while some of his previous work has a similarly dark tone, there's something about this latest issue of Uptight that underscores this mood. But the two also talk about more upbeat storylines, such as the ongoing adventures of Simon and his cat, Jack -- given full treatment in Jordan's 2005 book, The Clouds Above -- and his other comics, such as the Keep Our Secrets and the Xeric Award-winning Col-Dee. Derek also asks Jordan about his time orchestrating the anthology NON, and how the efforts on his website What Things Do currently scratch any editorial itches he might have. All in all, this is a revealing interview and, if you are not already a long-time fan of Jordan's work, a great introduction to one of the medium's most intriguing indie creators.

The Dynamic Doctoral Duo is back for another action-packed episode promising thrills and chills! This time, Gwen and Derek begin by discussing Brecht Evens's  Panther (Drawn and Quarterly), a book that gives a first impression of innocence but then becomes darker and increasingly disturbing as the story develops. Gwen is a scholar of children's literature, and she points out that Evens follows many of the tropes found in picture books, and his style -- what you'd find in his earlier works, The Wrong Place and The Making Of -- may even lead readers to see this as one. But she argues that Panther is anything but a text for younger readers. Evens's penchant for watercolor and his borderless panel style make this a most sophisticated narrative, one with no easy answers and ending in ambiguity.

Next, Derek and Gwen transition into yet another portal narrative, Gene Ha's Mae #1 (Dark Horse Comics). In this new creator-owned series, which began last year as a Kickstarter, the titular character's older sister, Abbie, has discovered a way into another world and often absents herself from her family. But Abbie's fantastical getaway begins to insert itself into the mundane world, initiating events that are sure to carry the  homebody Mae into unexpected adventures. This is Ha's first attempt at both writing and illustrating in a longer narrative form, and it's a series that both cohosts plan on returning to in the months to come.

Finally, the two wrap up by doing something that has not yet been done on The Comics Alternative: reviewing a Walking Dead title. As much as Derek enjoys the popular comic-book series and the TV show, they've just never had the opportunity to discuss a beginning point or something standalone from Kirkman and Allard's franchise. But this time, they have: Brian K. Vaughan and Marcos Martin's one-shot, The Walking Dead: The Alien. This is available on the creators' Panel Syndicate website, and as with the other titles you'll find there -- e.g., The Private Eye and Barrier -- this is a pay-what-you-want comic. Gwen does not have much history with The Walking Dead, and she's not a fan of zombie narratives, so she brings a unique perspective to the discussion...and likes what she reads. And as Derek points out, this is a title that will resonate with avid Walking Dead fans and at the same time can hold up outside of any larger narrative context. As if we needed any addition reason to love the creative team of Vaughan and Martin.

It’s Free Comic Book Day 2016, and to celebrate the event Derek is back at Collected Comics and Games in Plano, TX, to talk with customers and shop employees about the various offerings for this year. Some of the standout FCBD titles from those gathered around the discussion table are Howard Lovecraft and the Frozen Kingdom (Arcana), We Can Never Go Home/Young Terrorists (Black Mask Studios), ROM (IDW Publishing), One-Punch Man/My Hero Academia(VIZ Media), Oddly Normal (Image Comics), Civil War II (Marvel Comics), The Phantom (Hermes Press), and Serenity/Hellboy/Aliens (Dark Horse Comics). Artist and friend-of-the-show Andy Hirsch joins the conversation for a while and talks about some of his favorites, including Science Comics (First Second) and Love and Rockets (Fantagraphics). He also shares some behind-the-scenes information about his work on the miniseries The Baker Street Peculiars and his new book, Varmints, coming out this fall from First Second. And Derek also highlights some of his favorite FCBD selections from this year, including March (Top Shelf),   Mooncop/A Tom Gauld Sampler (Drawn and Quarterly), Hilda/Akissi/Fantasy Sports (Nobrow Press), and the great collections from BOOM! Studios, United Plankton Pictures (AKA, Spongebob), Z2 Comics, and the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. There’s a lot packed into this on-location episode, so get past the ambient noise of the crowds and jump into the fun comics talk offered here!

On this episode of the interview series -- the very first for cohost Paul Lai! -- the Two Guys with PhDs are pleased to have as their guest Mike Dawson. His latest book, Rules for Dating My Daughter: The Modern Father's Guide to Good Parenting, comes out on May 10th from Uncivilized Books, and our fearless cohosts talk with Mike about his project's journey from Tumblr, to Kickstarter, to finished book. One of the things they discuss early on is the fact that Rules for Dating My Daughter is not one of those gun-hugging "hurt my daughter, and I will hurt you" kind of books you'd expect from the cover image. In it, Mike lays bare his thoughts on the responsibilities of fatherhood (and not just for his daughter) and how those concerns relate to larger-world issues. The book is episodic in nature, comprising fifteen short strips focusing on such topics as gender roles, violence in America, religious observance, global warming, carnivorism, and cultural intolerance...and all filtered through parental concerns. Paul and Derek ask Mike about the genesis of this project and how it's significantly different from his previous books, Troop 142 and Angie Bongiolatti (both published by Secret Acres). At the same time, the tone of the new book isn't dissimilar from those works, and, in fact, one could argue that in Rules for Dating My Daughter, Mike is bringing together the themes of the earlier works -- both political and familial -- and combing them with the autobiographic approach established in his first book, Freddy and Me. And toward the end of the interview, the guys ask Mike about his work as a podcaster cohosting Ink Panthers with Alex Robinson and heading up TCJ Talkies. All in all, the guys have a great time talking with their guest about his art, his thoughts on the industry, and the current state of our culture...as only a dad could do.

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On this interview episode, Gwen and Derek are pleased to have as