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This week, and unfortunately for the foreseeable future, Esther was indisposed with planning for SPX. This means that I got to chat with Jake, also of Fantom Comics, and occasional contributor on here. We spoke about Brandon Graham’s Island & 8house, whether either comic will be around for long, the value of strong writer/artist collaborations, Transformers vs. G.I. Joe (which everyone apparently needs to read), One-Punch Man, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, and so much more!
00:00:50 – All things Brandon Graham, Island & 8house. Including how much I appreciate the inclusion of prose in Island, plus the educational value of the anthology. Big shout-out to Simon Roy’s Habitat, which we both really enjoyed!
00:08:48 – The value of narration vs. letting the art tell the story. I gush about Simon Spurrier again, but also a bit of conversation on how Brandon Graham does scripts, and writes for the artist more than proving some hidden authorial skill.
00:11:20 – Is Island usurping Heavy Metal. Also can Heavy Metal still be relevant, even with Grant Morrison at the helm? Fun fact, Grant Morrison used to do comic art, as did Brian Michael Bendis (the comic referenced is Fortune and Glory: A True Hollywood Comic Book Story).
00:15:18 – We digress into talking about how it’s problematic that every person doing press ever wants to write comics, in spite of being part of the problem. Also, the value of strong artist/writer collaborations.
00:18:43 – All things 8house. How it was announced forever ago, and how it’s turned out to be somewhat inaccessible to new readers, or anyone new to comics. How artist driven the project really is, and how it might be better geared towards the trade.
00:22:07– Discussion of the sales figures on Island and 8house, and whether they are good or bad. Additionally, random conversation involving the rise of DC Comics’s price point in bookstores/newsstands. Back to Graham, is it possible that Island and 8house will experience less of a second issue drop? (especially since there were no variants)
00:31:09 – Transition into discussing the evolution of Boom! Studios, via the history of Hexed, and Emma Rios. Also, how they are not as good as they should be about keeping trades in print. Quick discussion of the purchase of Archaia, and whether that’s helped any of the parties involved. By the same token, IDW & Top Shelf.
00:35:15 – All of which leads us into why everyone should read Tom Scioli’s Transformers vs. G.I. Joe – and this part is rather full of spoilers, so fair warning.
00:38:36 – The sudden rise of Black Mask Studios, and random conversation of paper quality in comics. Also yay or nay to recolored Jack Kirby, which somehow leads into a conversation about the Rolling Stones. Then how we hate flipped manga.
00:46:54 – Shout-out to One-Punch Man, and how the cover may set the wrong expectation. Jake really loves JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, and the format it’s published in, which leads into a conversation on the practicality of the manga format in general.
00:51:50 – The pros & cons of comics in libraries. Also, how far should comic-book stores editorialize, and guide audiences, without being needlessly disparaging. Shout-out to the upcoming Switch by Stjepan Sejic, and apparently From Under Under Mountains may have initially been a reboot of some sort (but couldn’t reference this in any way online).
01:02:40 – Finally, the random Spider-Man comic I found in a used book store – Spider-Man: Spirits of the Earth by Charles Vess. And will the real Spider-Man please stand up, because Marvel is sending some mixed messages.
