Deconstructing Comics

The adventure in the Samurai City comes to a close, and Panther attempts to get back to Wakanda. As a vibranium-related crisis unfolds in his homeland, various roadblocks appear in Panther's path to ratchet up the tension. Can he get home in time? Can his geeky relatives help stave off disaster? Who knew this about vibranium? Tim and Emmet react to surprise twists in Wakanda's past. Brought to you by: Who's Who podcast Our supporters on Patreon

(Concluding our review of past episodes featuring the work of R. Crumb.) FLASHBACK! Tim and Kumar meet in person for the first time! This calls for a podcast, but… what to review? We discuss the movie Crumb, which features not only the expected discussion of R. Crumb's work (including an objective look at the question of whether some of the … discomforting subjects of his work should really have been published as "art"), but also a fascinating portrait of the dysfunctional family he grew up in. Then, Tim and Brandon clash over Sean Murphy's Punk Rock Jesus, in which a former Irish Republican Army member acts as a bodyguard in a reality show claiming to be creating the clone of Jesus Christ. Is it objective and well-written, or a promo brochure for atheism? (Originally published November 2, 2015)

FLASHBACK! Weirdo was a magazine started by R. Crumb, which featured Crumb's work alongside that of a number of other underground-type comics creators. Crumb's work from Weirdo's 28 issues was collected in 2013 as R. Crumb: The Weirdo Years, 1981-'93, released in the U.S. by Last Gasp. It features an astonishing variety of comics work, from Crumb rants and confessionals to a 1906 psychiatric report on sexual deviancy, fumetti, parodies, and more. This is a book that Deconstructing Comics can't help but review, so this week Kumar and Tim do their podcasting duty! (Originally published December 16, 2013.) R. Crumb's Snapshots: Source Material of the Legendary Comic Artist (TIME.com) Brought to you by: To the Batpoles! podcast Our supporters on Patreon

At last we complete our look at Alan Moore's Swamp Thing run, looking at Swampy's battle with Gotham City, his seeming death, and his travels through space. Along the way, Tim and Kumar have totally different takes on a certain issue, and Tim finds a fact about it that scandalizes Kumar. Join us as we traverse The Saga of the Swamp Thing issues 51-64! What are those folks on Rann saying? Brought to you by: Checkered Past podcast Our supporters on Patreon

Adam Tierney, writer of the recent hit one-shot Romeo and Juliet and Godzilla, is a video game writer who dabbles in comics as a hobby -- and it's looking like a very successful hobby! This week he talks to Tim about choosing who Godzilla would cross paths with in his Godzilla's Monsterpiece Theatre issue, his love of horror and forthcoming horror comic for kids, how he got into video games, and more. Brought to you by: TV Tangents podcast Our supporters on Patreon

Jim Steranko's Nick Fury stories from the late 1960s are lauded for the artwork, especially in the stories after Fury got out of Strange Tales and into his own book. The stories are wacky and kind of haphazard. The layouts are sometimes very innovative, but the storytelling is not always clear. Are these stories worth reading today? Tim and Kumar complete their review of Steranko's Nick Fury. Also, we hear from some listeners, and Tim explains the history and mystery of our podcast feed! Brought to you by: Waxy Buildup podcast Our supporters on Patreon

Inio Asano's Goodnight Punpun gives us what appear to be a family of ghostly birds living in a much more realistic-looking world. People within that world don't see them that way, though. It's a world where authority figures act like ADHD kids, where every parent seems to be abusive or alcoholic (or both), and all seem to be fighting relentless depression. It's well done, but is it worth reading? Tim and Kumar discuss the story, the weirdness, the varying concepts of God, Asano's arguments with fans and with himself, and more. The Shima Kosaku bus Brought to you by: Face the Music ELO podcast Our supporters on Patreon

At some point, the idea that some comics should be for adults took over to the extent that it became hard to find good comics for kids. Cartoonist Harold Buchholz was involved in starting an organization called Kids Love Comics that encourages making comics for kids and does events to hook the kids up with good comics aimed at them. Harold joins Tim this week to talk about that, as well as his involvement in Archie Comics and Mystery Science Theater 3000, and why he mostly sells comics at general events rather than comic cons! Harold's Instagram (including Sweetest Beasts comics Robot Monster Comics Brought to you by: Worst Collection Ever podcast To the Batpoles! podcast Our supporters on Patreon

Jimmy Gownley is the award-winning creator of Amelia Rules, Tanner Rocks, The Dumbest Idea Ever, and more, as well as a co-host of the Unpacking Peanuts podcast. This time, he talks with Tim about why the earliest stuff sells the best (never mind how much his art has improved since then), ergonomics, putting comics on Substack for free, and, of course, Peanuts! Brought to you by: Doomspeak podcast Our supporters on Patreon