Transcending Comics

Welcome back to Transcending Comics! Today, we're revisiting the world of The Invisibles by Grant Morrison. Rather than another book club episode, we'll instead be exploring how the series has impacted real world practices of chaos magick.

Joining us for this discussion is none other than Arden Lee, an expert in chaos magic and the sole spiritual apprentice of Grant Morrison. Arden is an artist of many talents, as the frontwoman of Arden and the Wolves, the writer of an upcoming book, and the founder of The Repatterning Project. She's here to share her unique perspective on how The Invisibles has influenced real-world practices of chaos magick, especially with the introduction of the concept of the hyper sigil.

We had an incredible chat about how fiction can become reality, the magic of storytelling, and intriguing journeys of self-discovery!

In celebration of winning "Episode of the Year" and "Best Production" at the Iowa Podcast Awards, we're re-releasing one of the most unique and psychedelic podcasts we've ever made, It's Morphin' Time! This was Tomi's coming-out episode that was originally published on the Giant Sized Violence feed back in February of 2023, which we're excited to share  in both podcast feeds!

The updated version of the episode includes a new intro and outro, and some exciting updates about recent and upcoming projects that we'd love our listeners to get involved with!

Original Description:

In this deeply personal episode, we'll be covering highlights of the last year, commemorating the heroes we lost,  and walk through Tomi's experience of finding their voice through heroes like the Power Rangers. Along the way, they recount their story of their own psychedelic experience that led to a life-changing realization. For the first time in our show's history, we also incorporate music to accompany the story! Join us for a journey through loss, transformation, and self-discovery. It's Morphin' Time!

Music Used:

You’re an Ace Kid

By DEMONDICE

you're an ace, kid- DEMONDICE

Enchantment

By Nora En Pure

By Aesop Rock

The Greatest Pac-Man Victory In History

The Starting Line

By Neil Cicierega

Neil Cicierega - The Starting Line

Clouds

By Sunny and Gabe

https://youtu.be/Dlv4Uh3zxw8?si=eBZlXelX78HJMeoW

Welcome to the Internet

By Bo Burnham (aixva remix)

Bo Burnham - Welcome to the Internet (aixva remix) 

All Eyes on Me (OriginTori remix)

By Bo Burnham

https://on.soundcloud.com/neWVC3kBXD5Jz34K6 

Space Monkey Mafia

By Neil Cicierega

Neil Cicierega - Space Monkey Mafia

Still Here

By Girl Talk

Here's the Thing

AhHa

By Nate Ruess

https://youtu.be/daaQkKU7AGw?si=ooYWa7s_QXPaOAWw 

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (Original Theme)

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Full Theme Song

Megazord (feat. ProbCause & Chrishira Perrier)

By GRiZ

MEGAZORD - GRiZ (feat. ProbCause & Chrishira Perrier) (Official Visualizer)

Legend of the Power Saurus

By Victorius

Legend of the Power Saurus

We Need a Hero (Piano Version)

Ron Wasserman - We Need a Hero (Piano Version)

Bluish

By Animal Collective

Animal Collective - Bluish (Official Video)

Survive

By Lane 8 (feat. Channy Leaneagh)

Lane 8 - Survive feat. Channy Leaneagh

Gratitude

By Above & Beyond

Oliver Smith Remix: Above & Beyond and anamē feat. Marty Longstaff - Gratitude (Oliver Smith Remix)

Split Bootleg Remix: Above & Beyond and Gardenstate feat Marty Longstaff - Gratitude (SPLIT Bootleg)

OriginTori Remix: https://on.soundcloud.com/WkPXkDoyuGKGe6kZ8

Komm: Süsser Tod

By Shiro Sagisu, Arianne, Hideaki Anno, lyrics removed by Yordle

Komm, süsser Tod (M-10 Director's Edit Version) - Instrumental [Removed Vocals]

Transcending Comics had our first ever live show at Flame Con 2024! We were lucky enough to be joined by some incredible panelists, including Maia Kobabe (Gender Queer: A Memoir), Kim Wang (Of Thunder & Lightning), Ben Kahn (Elle Campbell Wins Their Weekend, Renegade Rule), and Daniel Falco (Transphoria)!

Music:

Outro: You've Been Starrin by Carlsin

Check out more of his music on Carlsin.com

This week, Eri and Tomi dive headfirst into the vat of comedy chemicals that is The People's Joker! We discuss everything we love about Vera Drew's incredible indie film, and how it changes our viewpoints on what we expect to see from trans representation in comic book films going forward. 

You can buy The People's Joker on DVD, Blu-ray, and VHS from DiabolikDVD or Amazon today!

Don't forget to support our own first comic, When We Transform, currently live on Kickstarter! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tomitrembath/when-we-transform

In this episode, we dive deep into DC’s newest YA graphic novel, Bad Dream: A Dreamer Story, written by none other than Nicole Maines, the actress who brought Dreamer to life on the Supergirl TV show! We chat about Dreamer's journey from the small screen to the colorful pages of her very own comic, and how Maines continues to impress us with her storytelling prowess.

We also explore the exciting world of queer and trans representation in comics, from Dreamer's groundbreaking presence in the DC universe to her interactions with other beloved characters like Galaxy, the Prettiest Star. Plus, we share our thoughts on potential future crossovers and dream (pun intended) up some epic team-ups we'd love to see.

For those looking to avoid spoilers, our plot summary section begins at 6:54 and ends at 10:58.

So, whether you're a seasoned comic book reader or new to the world of superheroes, grab your cape and join us as we continue transcending boundaries and celebrating the vibrant world of trans, non-binary, and genderqueer representation in comics. 🎨💖

Also don't forget to check out our own first comic, When We Transform, live now on Kickstarter! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tomitrembath/when-we-transform

Big news and big changes incoming!

My first comic, When We Transform, launches on Kickstarter this Thursday, August 1st! Sign up to get notified at launch by going to WhenWeTransform.com or by visiting our pre-launch page on Kickstarter! If you're a fan of the comics we cover on either of our podcasts, you're going to love this book!

We're also bringing the show to FlameCon in New York City on August 17th! Come see the live panel for "Transcending Comics: A Trans & Non-Binary Comic Creators Q&A" featuring panelists like Maia Kobabe, Jay Edidin, Kim Wang, Dan Falco, and Ben Kahn!

Also, be on the lookout for our upcoming Patreon for Keymaster Collective, our parent company encompassing Transcending Comics, When We Transform, Giant Sized Violence, and our other ongoing creative projects and collaborations!

This is a cross-post of this week's episode of Giant Sized Violence.

This week, we're joined by writer and tabletop game designer Sarah Kennedy to talk about one of our favorite comics, Kaijumax by Zander Cannon! Kaijumax is a highly acclaimed kaiju-prison drama comic, unlike anything we've seen before. It's chock full of fun Tokusatsu references, and plays with the tropes of both prison dramas and monster movies in ways we never would have imagined!

Our guest, Sarah Kennedy, has worked on over 70 tabletop games, including Sentai & Sensibility, RPGs for Power Rangers, GI Joe, and Star Trek, as well as Werewolf the Apocalypse. She also has a Tokusatsu inspired comic of her own that she's working on that we can't wait to see come to life!

On this week's episode, we're remembering one of the most important figures in the history of trans comics, Rachel Pollack. Rachel was the first openly trans writer working in mainstream comics, and the creator of Coagula from the Doom Patrol. She was also a major figure in the realms of Tarot and spiritualism, on top of being an award winning science fiction writer.

Joining us today to discuss Rachel's work is her friend and collaborator, Joe Corallo. Joe also contributed an original story to last month's DC Pride: A Celebration of Rachel Pollack, in which he brought DC's first trans superhero back into ongoing continuity.

We also want to dedicate this episode to Liara Kaylee Tsai, an incredible DJ who was kind enough to let us feature her music in the second episode of our show. She was a pillar of our local trans communities, and we miss her dearly. This week's opening song is her untitled sample from 15 Mar 21, and our outro is her song Tesselation Matrix. You can listen to more of her music on soundcloud at https://soundcloud.com/vutall

Today, we're chatting with the brilliant minds behind Transphoria, an incredible trans & non-binary comic book anthology from Lifeline Comics.

Tomi is joined by Lifeline Comics founders Kat Calamia and Phil Falco, plus writer and lead-editor Daniel Falco, as well as returning guest Ben Kahn! They're here to share insights on the successful Kickstarter campaign that hit its $26,000 goal in just 25 hours, and the 19 inspiring stories that make up this anthology.

Our discussion ranges from the origins of Transphoria to the unique challenges and joys of curating such a diverse collection, and what aspiring creators can do to create appealing story-pitches to submit to future comic anthologies.

Don't forget to check out the ongoing Kickstarter campaign for Transphoria and support these incredible creators before June 27th!

This week on Transcending Comic's, we're joined by Tiktok's "Just Nausicaa" for a discussion about trans representation in on of our favoire anime, Neon Genesis Evangelion!

We'll be discussing how we came across this series, what it's meant to us over the years, and examining its characters and themes through a trans and queer lens. We discuss Shinji's journey and its resonance with the trans experience, the unique character dynamics, and the impact of the series on our lives. We also delve into the Rebuild films and their portrayal of trans themes, as well as the evolution of our own perspectives as we revisit this iconic anime post-transition.

This episode is a deep dive into how media can reflect and shape our understanding of identity, trauma, and self-discovery.