Transcending Comics

Today we're joined by multi-talented creator, Ben Khan, as they share their creative processes, influences, and experiences throughout their comic career. From their work with Ubisoft tie-ins like "Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix: Crushing Love" and "Immortals Fenyx Rising," to indie comics like "Renegade Rule" and "Heavenly Blues,"  or even their new young adult novel "Elle Campbell Wins Their Weekend!" If you're not familiar with Ben from their incredible work in comics, you might recognize them from the Progressively Horrified podcast! 

Ben does an incredible job both playing with and subverting established tropes, and they have a knack for world building that we've rarely seen elsewhere!  We get into the creative origins behind these stories, and gush about the films that have inspired their work.

To celebrate Free Comic book Day 2024, we're doing a special cross-posted episode of Transcending Comics and Giant Sized Violence. Eri and Tomi go back and forth discussing their free comic picks, and have a quick discussion on a great graphic novel find, Princess Knight by Osamu Tezuka (to be covered in a future episode of Transcending Comics).

Tomi's Picks:

This week we're joined by Niki Smith and Ollie Hicks, two incredible creators currently  collaboration on a trans-inclusive sapphic comics anthology 'Succulent', which is currently live on Kickstarter! 

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/khaoskreator/succulent-trans-inclusive-sapphic-comics-anthology?ref=discovery

We learn about the origins of the upcoming project, and get into the inspirations of Niki and Ollie's previous works. You may recognize Niki from books like 'The Deep and Dark Blue,' 'Crossplay,' and 'Golden Hours." Ollie also has some incredible comics under their belt, like 'Grand Slam Romance,' 'Butch Bros,' and 'Henchman's Day Off.' 

We're back this week to finally return to our Invisible Community College Book Club series, where Tomi and Eri are covering The Invisibles by Grant Morrison one volume at a time!

We'll be covering issues #13-25, as found in the second collected edition of the series. We also be discuss some of Grant Morrison's Substack essays that get into the writing process for the series, as well as their real-life experiences that inspired the events of these issues!

It's a trippy conversation on an even trippier book, that leads us through musings on our own experiences of gender exploration, as well as the magic of storytelling!

This week on Transcending Comics, we're joined by an up-and-coming writer of LGBTQ YA horror comics, Lorry Jamison!

We discuss their anthology series, Nightshade, which so far includes Party Animals and Blush. We also get into the many inspirations behind their comics, including our shared nostalgia for Goosebumps and Young Avengers, as well as real-world local haunts!

Join us this week for a conversation with an absolute icon in the world of queer superheroes, Jadzia Axelrod! Creator of one of the most prominent trans superhero comics, Galaxy: The Prettiest Star, as well as the latest Hawkgirl miniseries from DC Comics!

Our conversation isn't just about her comics though, we also get into Jadzia's colorful backstory and her dabblings with circus performance, puppeteering, and costume design! We also discuss her long history with podcasting, going all the way back to 2005, and how that influenced the way she would later write comics. 

In this special episode of Transcending Comics, we warmly welcome renowned writer and artist, Kel McDonald, to discuss their adventures in the vibrant world of web comics and traditional print comics. Listeners of the show may recognize Kel from print comics like Buffy - The High School Years, Misfits of Avalon, and Adventure Time, or their long running web comics like The City Between, You Are the Chosen One, and Sorcery 101.

We also dive into Kel's unique fascination with folklore and werewolves, as we discuss their Kickstarter campaign for their latest comic, Murky Water - a futuristic urban fantasy story from their popular series, The City Between.

Join us as we delve into the techniques behind creating multi-dimensional characters while considering today's dynamic political climate, narratives that inspire, and the charm and complexities of web comics. This episode is a treasure trove for comic enthusiasts seeking a deeper understanding of the stories behind their favorite series.

Please support Kel's latest Kickstarter for Murky Water at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1495959227/murky-water

This week on Transcending Comics, we're joined by comic book scholar Charlotte Fierro! We dive into Loki's recent and increasingly queer character development in popular stories like Marvel's 'Loki, Agent of Asgard,' 'Young Avengers,' And 'Loki: Season 2.' We delve into the specifics of Loki's deviation from the stereotype of a villain, their relationship with ego death, and their steps into the realms of queer resonance and evolving gender fluidity.

As a bonus, we reminisce over another beloved mythological character – Percy Jackson! With a nostalgic discussion of one of our favorite book series and its on-screen adaptation. Join us for a discussion about mythology, fiction, and continuity in the ever-evolving Marvel Universe.

In the latest episode of Transcending Comics, join us as we delve into the world of Emma Grove, acclaimed author and artist of the graphic novel memoir, 'The Third Person'. Learn about Emma's journey through navigating the mental health care system during her transition, her inspirations, writing process, and upcoming projects. 

We're joined by Maria Ingrande Mora (Fragile Remedy, The Immeasurable Depth of You) to discuss their comic writing debut with Ranger Academy!

Maria tells us about making the leap from writing YA novels to the world of comics, and the challenges that come with switching mediums. We also learn a bit about their love of fan fiction and transformative works, as well as their history with the Power Rangers franchise.