Episode 68.1 - Holiday Jeer

Listen in for an important announcement about this weeks and next weeks shows!


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This Weeks Intro: Green Day: "Holiday":


This Weeks Outro: Madonna - Holiday:

Episode 68 - You Gotta Get With My Friends

Comics Therapy. No Reviews. Just Analysis.

Two books from December 17, 2014. Plus, a Second Opinion, featuring questions answered by a different listener each week, with Mark.
On The Couch: Ignatz-award winning cartoonist Alec Longstreth.

Show Notes:

This week’s theme is friendship is magic. We talk a lot about the relationships between characters in comic books - be they superhero teams, mortal enemies or anything in between. We’ve discussed the dynamics of romantic relationships, family conflict and adolescent turmoil. The two comics we’re focusing on today showcase the strong bonds that form among friends, especially in times of trouble, be it magical or mundane. Either way, there’s probably a body or two involved, so choose your friends wisely. Make sure at least one of them knows what to do when the shit hits the fan.

Wayward #5 30:30

The Kitchen #2 42:07

The Couch - Alec Longstreth 51:10

You may know Ignatz-award winning cartoonist Alec from his minicomic Phase 7 or his gorgeous graphic novel, Basewood, self-published in hardcover this year. Or maybe you’re wearing the sweet t-shirt he designed for the band Weezer. His comics work has also appeared in anthologies published by Villard, Three Rivers Press, Dark Horse Comics, Tugboat Press and many other indie self-publishers. He was a fellow at the Center for Cartoon Studies and teaches for CCS and the California College for the Arts for their MFA Comics Program.

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This Weeks Intro: Spice Girls - Wannabe:


This Weeks Outro: Weezer - My Best Friend:

Episode 67.1 - A Moment of Reflection

A moment of reflection from your friends at Comics Therapy. 

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Episode 67: Taking Matters Into Your Own Hand

Comics Therapy. No Reviews. Just Analysis.

Three books from December 3, 2014. Plus, a Second Opinion, featuring questions answered by a different listener each week, with Len.

Show Notes:

This week’s theme is taking matters into your own hands. It’s about justice, not the law, because sometimes the law can’t be trusted. Or even if they could, maybe you yourself aren't up to any good, so why complicate matters? Better to just take care of things yourself before anyone else gets hurt. Unless that’s what you’re looking for. Because Andrea may know a guy.

The Names #4 16:38

Fiction Squad #3 30:50

Men of Wrath #3 45:57

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This Weeks Intro: Dr Horrible's Sing-Along Blog - A Man's Gotta Do:


This Weeks Outro: Metallica-And Justice For All:

Episode 66.1 - What? Again?

New Reviews, No Analysis

Listen to this for info on where this weeks show is!

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Episode 66 - Mad World

Comics Therapy. No Reviews. Just Analysis.

Three Books From November 19th 2014!

Avengers 38

Avengers World 15

New Avengers 26

Show Notes:

More Show Notes To Come! 
(Aaron Says its Ep 67 at the beginning but its not, its 66)

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This Weeks Intro: Gary Jules (Melissa) - Mad World:


This Weeks Outro: Anna Graceman - Crazy World:

Episode 65.1 - I'm Sorry

Listen to this for info on where this weeks show is!


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Episode 65 - Just Like Animals

Comics Therapy. No Reviews. Just Analysis.

Three books from November 5, 2014. Plus a Second Opinion, featuring questions answered by a different listener each week, with Keith Silva.

Show Notes:

This week’s theme is all creatures great and small. It’s heartwarming, isn't it? After a month of horror books we needed this. Like a giant, cuddly, soft and furry palate cleanser. Wait, that came out wrong. Anyway, we’re looking at three books that feature animals in three dramatically different ways. Cybernetically enhanced smart ass killing machines, time traveling imprinting dinosaurs and neglected-then-coveted man’s best friend.

Rocket Raccoon #5 21:10

Cuteness, or The Secret of My Success

Terrible Lizard #1 31:55

Back to the Future

Kinski Hardcover (collecting issues #1-6) 42:45

Homeward Bound

Show notes this week are brought you by an inexplicable fondness for Michael J. Fox movie meta references. Duh.

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This Weeks Intro: Maroon 5 - Animals:


This Weeks Outro: Savage Garden - The Animal Song:

Episode 64 - Hell Is For Children

Comics Therapy. No Reviews. Just Analysis.

Two books from October 29, 2014. Plus a Second Opinion, featuring questions answered by a different listener each week, with Joe Patrick.

On The Couch: artist and writer Michel Fiffe.

Show Notes:

Happy Halloween! No, for real. It is Halloween right this very second, and we are happy and you should be, too. (Sure, now that this is posted it's actually November, but in the moment let us celebrate October with one final round of horror comics.) This week’s theme is creepy children. Some of the scariest books, movies and comics we’ve ever seen or read have involved kids who are either not all there, or not what they seem or just...not. These two books do their part to add to this delightful niche in the genre, where children aren’t a source of joy or peace or love, but in fact something to fear or fear for.

And Then Emily Was Gone #4 21:55

Missing children. Children who keep demons away. Boogeymen who take children. Parents who miss children. Hit men who kill children.

Rachel Rising #29 39:35

A child destined to bear Satan's heir. A child who kills, repeatedly. Happens to be the same child.

The Couch - Michel Fiffe 52:50

Michel’s critically acclaimed self-published series Copra was on a number of best of lists last year, and Round One, collecting the first six issues, was recently published by Bergen Street Press and is available through Diamond for the first time. He is also currently writing All-New Ultimates for Marvel Comics.

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This Weeks Intro: Pat Benatar - Hell Is For Children:


This Weeks Outro: Cat Stevens - Where Do The Children Play:

Episode 63 - Set The Tone

Comics Therapy. No Reviews. Just Analysis.

Two comics from October 22, 2014. Plus a Second Opinion, featuring questions answered by a different listener each week, with Jason Sacks.

On The Couch: artist Jim Rugg.

Show Notes:

It’s still October, kids, and we’re still reading scary books. Because when Andrea hits on a theme, she likes to really drive it into the ground, killing it slowly until its rotting, festering remains poison the water supply, causing pestilence and death for miles around. At least for the next two weeks, anyway. Today’s theme is about setting the tone. We’re looking at two first issues of new horror series, and how they establish the look and fear of what is to come.

Colder #1 19:50
A new volume begins. How does it pull new readers in while living up to the expectations of fans of the first series? With a cool glass of milk. Gross.

Goners #1 32:05
A brand new story. How does it introduce (and kill off) characters while raising the stakes with an appropriate creep factor? With the undead. And conspiracies.

The Couch - Jim Rugg 42:05

Back in episode 53, we talked about Jim’s comic Street Angel, published by SLG originally, re-released digitally by MonkeyBrain Comics, and beautifully packaged in a newish hardcover by AdHouse. He’s also the co-creator of the Ignataz-award winning Rambo 3.5 and Afrodisiac. He drew The Guild, written by Felicia Day and published by Dark Horse Comics, and pages for Joe Casey’s new Captain Victory series which we’ve also talked about, published by Dynamite.

Jim recommended Jane, The Fox and Me, written by Fanny Britt with art by Isabelle Arsenault.

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This Weeks Intro: Nate James - Set The Tone:


This Weeks Outro: Blind Melon - Tones of Home:

Episode 62 - Slow Burn

Comics Therapy. No Reviews. Just Analysis.

Two comics from October 15, 2014. Plus a Second Opinion, featuring questions answered by a different listener each week, with Sam Marx.

(Looking for the NYCC album? It'll be up later tonight.)

Show Notes:

It's October, and we're in the mood for some good horror comics. This week’s theme is the slow burn, as applied to those frightening situations that tease and entice us, revealing just enough to keep us interested. These two comics play to and distort our need to have all of the questions answered as soon as possible. And when they don’t, it often makes things even scarier.

Trees #6 32:45

The creepiest premise. More questions than answers. And the sensation that when things finally start happening, they'll probably not go well for anyone.

Veil #5 46:40

An end that feels more like a beginning.

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This Weeks Intro: David Bowie - Slow Burn:


This Weeks Outro: Selena Gomez - Slow Down:

Episode 61.1 - I Want To Be A Part Of It (&Not Podcast)

Comics Therapy. No Reviews. Just Analysis.

No show this week! Andrea decided that she just wanted to be on vacation and not podcast. Its all her fault. Next week will be our best show yet, we guarantee it. 

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This Weeks Intro: Frank Sinatra - New York, New York:


This Weeks Outro: Frank Sinatra - Come Fly With Me:

Episode 61 - Die For The Government

Comics Therapy. No Reviews. Just Analysis.

Two comics from October 1, 2014. Plus a Second Opinion, featuring questions answered by a different listener each week, with Carl Smith. Carl's Kickstarter for The Horror at Loon Lake is going on now!

On The Couch: artist Annie Wu.

Show Notes:

This week, we’re looking at anti-heroes, but cut from a very specific cloth. Say you are a former sidekick. You used to pal around with a pretty serious hero-type. Captain America, say. Or Batman. Strong moral integrity, clear cut sense of right and wrong. Willing to go to extremes to help the little guy. So what happens when you stop being a sidekick? When you get to decide the hero you want to be, instead of standing in the shadows of another. What traits would you emulate? How much of your former role model would you use to define yourself? We’re looking at two books this week whose characters are definitely not sidekicks, and haven’t been for awhile. These men have broken away from their former identities, though those experiences still inform the kind of hero they are today. The assassin. And the spy.

Bucky Barnes: The Winter Soldier #1 11:00

This is the assassin. You knew that. He's hanging out with Daisy Johnson. You may have known that. She is not his sidekick. Now you know that. And he's definitely not a traditional hero.

Grayson #3 22:15

This is the spy. Did you know that? He used to be Batman's sidekick. You probably knew that. He may still be. Does he know that? He's not a traditional hero, either.

The Couch - Annie Wu 32:47

Most of you will know Annie as the artist behind Kate Bishop’s adventures in Los Angeles in Matt Fraction and David Aja’s Hawkeye. She also co-created the new Batgirl in Batman Beyond with writer Scott Peterson. Annie is a storyboard artist for The Venture Brothers on Adult Swim, and straight up one of the funniest people on the internet.

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This Weeks Intro: Anti-Flag - Die For Your Government:


This Weeks Outro: DEVO - Secret Agent Man:

Episode 60 - You're A Lot Like Me. (I'm Sorry.)

Comics Therapy. No Reviews. Just Analysis.

Three comics from September 24, 2014. Plus Second Opinions, featuring questions answered by a different listener each week, with Chase Magnett.

Show Notes:

This week's theme is parents and children: re-introductions. As we grow older, we usually lose that close parental bond, if we had it at all, as parents and children interact more and more within the context of their broader family and communities. Sometimes that shift happens prematurely, even violently. Sometimes it happens before one or both sides is ready to let go. So when we have a chance to sit down with mom or dad again, we have to rediscover who they are and what they mean to us. The characters in this week’s comics are cast adrift, physically separated from others and forced to re-introduce themselves as a family again. To address past misconceptions and miscommunications. And to decide if they’re going to work together or fall apart.

Low #3 18:05

Faith of the mothers.

Butterfly #1 31:32

Sins of the fathers.

Cyclops #5 39:00

Bounty (hunters) of the fathers.

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This week's intro: Ben Folds - Still Fighting It:


This weeks' outro: Harry Chapin - Cats In The Cradle:

Episode 59 - The Music In Me

Comics Therapy. No Reviews. Just Analysis.

Two comics from September 17, 2014. Plus Second Opinions, featuring questions answered by a different listener each week, with Matt Baum.

On The Couch: writer Sean E. Williams.

Show Notes:

The theme this week? If music be the food of love, play on. For centuries, music has been a focus and an outlet for friends, fools and foes alike. It’s a shared passion that brings us together like few other things can. It’s a distraction from pain and an opportunity for greatness. Every musician dreams of hitting it big, becoming a star, becoming a god. We’re looking at two books this week where music and character intertwine. And where gods and mortals do, too.

Aaaaand then we recorded. And Aaron essentially vetoed the theme, as he is wont to do. So instead of talking about comics and music, we mostly just talk about how much he hates comics, and other fun things that are fun.

Edge of Spider-Verse #2: Gwen Stacy, Spider-Woman 11:00

The Wicked + The Divine #4 20:30

The Couch - writer Sean E. Williams 36:15

Sean is the co-writer of Artful Daggers, published digitally by Monkeybrain Comics and in trade by IDW. He wrote the New York Times best-selling Fairest: Return of the Maharaja, published by Vertigo, and has written for The Vampire Diaries and upcoming Sensation Comics, published by DC.

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This week's intro: Aretha Franklin ~ Mumbles - I've Got The Music In Me:


This week's outro: The Doors - When the Music's Over:

Episode 58 - Just The Two Of Us

Comics Therapy. No Reviews. Just Analysis.

Two books from September 10, 2014. Plus, our brand new segment Second Opinions, featuring questions answered by a single listener each week. Starting us off, Jessica Boyd.

On The Couch: Eisner-nominated artist Ibrahim Moustafa.

Show Notes:

The theme this week is (deep breath) nonverbal sidekicks and the monologuing women who love them. We’re looking at two comics with strong young female protagonists, both of whom we’ve discussed, but whose point of view, and commentary thereof, is an important part of the identity of the book. In both cases, that insight is tempered by our heroines’ relationships with their nonverbal companions, who serve to actually humanize the interactions with the rest of the characters. Seriously. This is going to be a good conversation. Actually about comics.

Amelia Cole #18: The Enemy Unleashed 11:35
Amelia and Lemmy. And spoilers.

Ms. Marvel #8 22:45
Kamala and Lockjaw. And yet another conversation about predictive gender roles.

The Couch - artist Ibrahim Moustafa 41:30

Ibrahim drew The Pound: Ghoul’s Night out for IDW but you probably know him as the artist on High Crimes, digitally published by Monkeybrain Comics and out in hard cover next spring by Dark Horse Comics.

The artist Ibrahim mentions during the interview is Kim Jung Gi.

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This week's intro: Will Smith - Just The Two Of Us:


This week's outro: Aladdin - Friend Like Me:

Episode 57 - Small Town

Comics Therapy. No Reviews. Just Analysis.

Three books from September 3, 2014. 

Show Notes:

This week’s theme is small town, big terror. There’s a special kind of monster - and justice - that inhabits a fictional insular community, whether it be in the Pacific Northwest, the deep South or inside the brain of a killer. Yeah, you read that right. This is comics, kids, where murder and mayhem in small town, U.S.A. can take on a whole new level. Serial bullies, serial monsters, serial killers. And don’t get us started on the daddy issues.

Be mindful of the internal time stamps this week. The conversation sort of evolved...or devolved, depending on your perspective, so at various points all three books are sort of loosely discussed. Remember, no reviews. Just analysis. And this episode, a very skewed one at that.

Not a lot of comics talk, but plenty about our own experiences with small towns. Let's just say we can both agree this setting is ripe for the story picking.

Nailbiter #5 11:40 
Start with an intense (and ignorant?) debate about small towns vs. urban areas. Then at 24:45, our fearless hosts attempt to get back on track and chat about comics. It doesn't take.
At 26:50, Andrea prompts Aaron again about - you know, the comic - and then they move on. Don't worry, Nailbiter comes up in subsequent segments at 30:45, 35:32, 37:02 and 43:05.

Headspace #4 27:57
Let's call this segment 35% comic, 65% more arguing about small towns. And the human psyche.

Southern Bastards #4 38:45

And finally, a more evenly balanced discussion about faith, small towns and going back home again. Also comics. Ish.

Songs for the segments transitions are variations of the song "Homeward Bound" by the following artists:

Simon & Garfunkel

Alison Brown

Willie Nelson

Passenger

Red Molly

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This Weeks Intro: John Mellencamp - Small Town:


This Weeks Outro: John Denver - Take Me Home, Country Roads:

Episode 56 - Fight The Power

Comics Therapy. No Reviews. Just Analysis.

Two comics from August 27, 2014. Plus Regression Therapy (about DC and Marvel, go figure).

On The Couch: writer Joe Casey.

Show Notes:

This week’s theme is one part respect my authority, one part know your enemies. We’re looking at two comics where the organizations in power are characters in and of themselves. Where the members of said organizations are guided and influenced, for better or for worse, by their affiliation. Where the greater good is wildly up for debate and where absolute power just might corrupt absolutely. We’d like to believe that super powered authorities would have our super best interests in mind, but in comics that’s definitely not the case.

C.O.W.L. #4 13:17
Superhero union negotiations in 1960s Chicago. When the super law of the land is an official - and public - part of the political machine, corruption is included.

Mind MGMT #25 26:07
Sometimes managing the super talented is secondary to using them to manage the regular folks. But when the shadowy organization designed to do that falls apart, chaos reigns for all.

The Couch - writer Joe Casey 41:15

Joe has written for Marvel, DC, and Dark Horse among others, and his creator-owned works like Godland, The Bounce and Sex have been published through Image Comics. His development and production company Man of Action created Ben 10 and Generator Rex, both on the Cartoon Network, and produced and story edited Ultimate Spider-Man and Marvel's Avenger’s Assemble on Disney XD. Just recently he picked up the reigns on the new Captain Victory and the Galactic Rangers ongoing published by Dynamite Entertainment, and at the Image Expo that kicked off San Diego Comic Con, he announced his newest creator-owned book Valhalla Mad.

Songs for the segment transitions are variations of "I Fought The Law" by the following artists:

Nanci Griffith

Bobby Fuller Four

The Clash

The Dead Kennedys

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This week's intro: Public Enemy - Fight The Power:


This week's outro: David Bowie - Queen Bitch:

Episode 55 - We Can Build This Dream Together

Comics Therapy. No Reviews. Just Analysis.

Two comics from August 20, 2014. Plus your Nerd Confessions (about your favorite teams).

On The Couch: Eisner-nominated writer and artist Farel Dalrymple.

Show Notes:

This week we’re talking about teams, however reluctantly they may come together. We’ve always been fascinated by group dynamics, especially if the members of the group are aware of their own inherent dysfunction. And maybe it’s more accurate to say we’re talking about that self awareness rather than the teams themselves. In all three books today - Secret Avengers and The Multiversity, as well as The Wrenchies which we discussed with creator Farel Dalrymple - members of the teams in question are not only aware of the precariousness of their partnerships but also that their entire existence is a construct in a comic book. The ultimate meta team for the multiverse.

Secret Avengers #7 8:43

Breaking the fourth wall. Ask Aaron how he feels about that.

Also: Marvel continuity and a shocking role reversal.

The Multiversity #1 26:15

Bending the fourth wall. Now ask Aaron how he feels about that.

Also: DC continuity and...we don't know shit.

The Couch - Farel Dalrymple 36:33

Farel is known for his creator-owned work, like the Eisner-nominated It Will All Hurt, published by Study Group Comics and Pop Gun War, published by Dark Horse Comics. He also drew Omega the Unknown for Marvel Comics. In 2013, Delusional, a collection of comics and sketches was published by AdHouse Books. His newest work, the graphic novel The Wrenchies, was published this summer by First Second.

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This Weeks Intro: Ben Folds Five - Philosophy:


This Weeks Outro: Starship - Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now: