Episode 70 - Big Weird Sci Fi

Back, back again to the stranger edges of sci fi. We ponder whether sci fi has preemptively shifted to reflect our garbage fire times, or whether our reading habits have just taken a turn for the cynical.

Because of the garbage fires.

We covered:

• Black Monday Murders - Jonathan Hickman and Tomm Coker
• Those Fucking Dinosaurs (I have no idea where to find this, let us know if you spot it)
• Descender - Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen
• Harrow County - Tyler Crook and Cullen Bunn
• Mare Internum - Der-shing Helmer
• Dept.H - Matt Kindt and Sharlene Kindt
• Quantum Teens Are Go! - Magdalene Visaggio, Eryk Donovan, Claudia Aguirre
• The Firelight Isle - Paul Duffield
• Leave Me Alone - Vera Brosgol
• Deep Space Canine - Comic Book Slumber Party (full list of contributors here)
• Trees - Warren Ellis and Jason Howard
• Injection - Warren Ellis, Declan Shalvie, Jordie Bellaire
• The Wild Storm - Warren Ellis and Jon Davis-Hunt
• Sex Criminals - Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky
• Warm Blood - Josh Tierney, Saskia Gutekunst, Joysuke, Winston Young, Naomi Franquiz, Marina Julia, Olivier Pichard (so far)
• Epicurean’s Exile - Leia Weathington and Jack Cole
• Monstress - Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda
• Kaijumax - Zander Cannon

Podcast 53: France (and Belgium)

How angry is it possible to be about Tintin, a comic where a boy and his dog solve mysteries and occasionally assert the supremacy of Belgium? Really quite, it turns out. That's right, we're covering the comics of France and Belgium (in rage-spittle).

Plus! Learn who's an alcoholic (it's Captain Haddock, and Roger). Which Franco-Belgian comic character has "bad trousers"? What are good names for the Cornish? We'll tell you. You'd better believe we'll tell you.

Our title music is by Canon Hannon's Ham Cannon.

We covered:

• Long John Silver: Neptune - Xavier Dorison & Matthieu Lauffray
• The End of a Fence - Roman Muradov
• Sex Criminals - Matt Fraction & Chip Zdarsky
• Orbital - Serge Pelle & Sylvain Runberg
• An Tain - Colmán Ó Raghallaigh
• Harrow County: Countless Haints - Cullen Bunn & Tyler Crook (PDF Preview)
• Miss Don't Touch Me - Hubert & Kerascoet
• Tintin - Hergé:
  • Cigars of the Pharaoh
  • The Blue Lotus
  • The Black Island
  • The Secret of the Unicorn
  • Red Rackham’s Treasure
  • Asterix - René Goscinny & Albert Uderzo:
    • Asterix the Gaul
    • Asterix and the Goths
    • Asterix and Cleopatra
    • Asterix the Gladiator

Podcast Episode 51 - Indie Roundup / Roger's Crapsack Spectacular

Like a glorious phoenix that just properly could not be bothered for a bit over Christmas, we're back! We're covering some indie comics we picked up last year, and a load that were in a slightly wet bag in Roger's house. Pretty good stuff.

Plus: watch a sad man's life disintegrate before your very ears when he learns that never again will he get to taste the sweet, sweet nectar of a Panda Pop.

Also: learn which member of the team accused a small local police force of being child abusers on local TV news show Look East!

We covered:

• Sandman: Overture - Neil Gaiman, J.H. Williams III
• Injection - Warren Ellis, Declan Shalvey, Jordie Bellaire
• Limbo - Dan Watters and Caspar Wijngaard
• Strugglers - Tim Fish (the other one appears not to be online, sorry folks. WE TRIED.)
• Public Information 1989 - Philip Trenerry
• Never Ever After - Chris Baldie & Holley McKend
• Damn days - Tim Levang
• Misc. Anthology - Martin Simpson
• Wytches - Scott Snyder, Jock, Matt Hollingsworth
• SuperMutant Magic Academy - Jillian Tamaki
• Long John Silver - Xavier Dorison, Mathieu Lauffray
• Dick Cream - Jordana Globerman
• Mean Girls Club - Ryan Heshka
• Hand Me Down - Kristyna Baczynski
• Kaptara - Chip Zdarsky and Kagan McLeod
• Jupiter’s Circle - Mark Millar and Wilfredo Torres
• Mutants and Mystics: Science Fiction, Superhero Comics, and the Paranormal - Jeffrey Kripal
• Street Dawgz - Lizz Lunney
• In Situ - Sophie Yanow

Prose we yapped about:

• SPQR - Mary Beard
• Mutants and Mystics: Science Fiction, Superhero Comics, and the Paranormal - Jeffrey Kripal
• The Ministry of Nostalgia - Owen Hatherley

Seriously, just how good is Martin Simpson's stuff onMisc

Le passion de chien.

Podcast Episode 50 - The Best Comics of 2015

Here at the old Consequential.net, we like to think that we cover the very best comics week on week. So it stands to reason that our selections for the best of the year are a rarefied breed indeed, yes? Yes. We're not saying these books will get you laid, but they probably won't get you sent to prison either. Great! Plus, someone wins a prize! Could it be you? Yes!*

*Accuracy dependent on competition entry.

We apologise for the occasional high-pitched noise in this episode. It was caused by a particularly acute case of The Clanks. Roger is being exorcised and deloused and it won't happen again.

Also, for your enjoyment:

• Christmas recipes!
• Find out which candy is "disgustingly minty"!
• Other things as well.
• You can read all of the competition pitches we received, like we had to.

We covered, in no particular order:

• Supermutant Magic Academy - Jillian Tamaki
• Mulp - Matt Gibbs & Sarah Dunkerton
• Porcelain - Benjamin Read & Chris Wildgoose
• Descender - Jeff Lemire & Dustin Nguyen
• Solomon - Carlos Pedro
• Limbo - Dan Watters & Caspar Wijngaard
• Wet Moon - Sophie Campbell
• Saint Cole - Noah Van Sciver
• Fante Bukowski - Noah Van Sciver
• Roller Girl - Victora Jamieson
• Wytches - Scott Snyder & Jock
• Aama - Frederick Peeters
• I Love This Part - Tillie Walden
• Space Dumplins - Craig Thompson
• Nimona - Noelle Stevenson
• Munnu - Malik Sajad
• Fantasy Sports - Sam Bosma
• Injection - Warren Ellis, Declan Shalvey, Jordie Bellaire
• Sing No Evil - J. P. Ahonen & K. P. Alare
• Kaptara - Chip Zdarsky and Kagan McLeod
• The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl - Ryan North and Erica Henderson
• Necropolis - Jake Wyatt
• Wild's End - Dan Abnett, I.N.J. Culbard

Podcast 46 - Comics Continuity (Where To Start With Marvel and DC)

Do you want to get started reading the lycra-clad adventures that Marvel and DC peddle, but you're put off by the huge gnarled continuity that has built up over the best part of a century? Batman, X-Men, Superman - all have accreted a vast mythology full of plot holes, reboots, crises many and various, but fear not - we're here to help with some surefire techniques to get you past the initial confusion, and to make sure you find the good stuff. Thanks to Tom Howard on Twitter for the setup.

Leap straight to the 1 hour, 1 minute mark if it's just that that you're after, or stick around for: plenty of new things! A series of crimes done in Dave's house! An introduction to homebrewing! Haikus! The secret history of nutmeg! Who could want more? It's a bumper episode!

We covered:

• Check Please! - Ngozi Ukazu
• Fires Above Hyperion - Patrick Atangan
• Descender -  Jeff Lemire & Justin Nguyen
• Aama - Frederick Peeters
• Paper Girls - Brian K Vaughan & Cliff Chiang
• Space Dumplins - Craig Thompson & Dave Stewart
• Sex Criminals - Matt Fraction & Chip Zdarsky
• The Fifth Beatle - Vivek Tiwary, Andrew C Robinson
• Nathaniel's Nutmeg - Giles Milton

The suggestions for starting points:

• All-Star Superman - Grant Morrison & Frank Quitely
• Batman: Year One - Frank Miller & David Mazucchelli
• The Ultimates - Mark Millar & Bryan Hitch
• Astonishing X-Men - Joss Whedon & John Cassidy
• FF - Matt Fraction & Mike Allred
• She-Hulk - Dan Slott, Various
• Hawkeye - Matt Fraction, David Aja, Matt Hollingsworth
• Moon Knight - Warren Ellis, Declan Shalvey, Jordie Bellaire
• DC: The New Frontier - Darwyn Cooke
• Daredevil - Brian Michael Bendis, various artists
• Spider-Man: Blue - Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale

Even Batman knows Cyclops is a dick.

Podcast 40 - Shiny! New!

Roger and Dave find themselves alone again this week, but rather than fighting to the death with sexy blades, they've thrown themselves into a vast raft of new releases (issue 1s and new trades) for your edification and amusement. If that's not enough, they still find time to get themselves a-frothy over Image Expo and the upcoming goodness. Onwards!

We read:

• The Spire - Si Spurrier and Jeff Stokely
• We Stand On Guard - Brian K. Vaughan, Steve Skroce, Matt Hollingsworth
• Arclight - Brandon Graham and Marian Churchland (part of 8House)
• Autumnlands - Kurt Busiek and Benjamin Dewey
• Rumble - Greg Arcudi and James Harren
• Supreme: Blue Rose - Warren Ellis and Tula Lotay
• Wytches - Scott Snyder, Jock, Matt Hollingsworth
• Kaptara - Chip Zdarsky and Kagan McLeod
• #WicDiv
• Starve - Brian Wood, Danijel Zezelj, Dave Stewart
• Empty Zone - Jason Shawn Alexander
• The Art of Flying - Antonio Altarriba
• The King in Yellow - I.N.J. Culbard, adapted from Robert W. Chambers
• The Case of Charles Dexter Ward - I.N.J. Culbard, adapted from H.P. Lovecraft

Podcast 37 - Queerness In Mainstream Comics

While independent comics are a home for diverse creators and stories, the mainstream hasn't dealt so well with representing a range of races, sexualities, viewpoints or much beyond white people hitting other white people.

We shout about this for a while. Maybe we figure out how to solve it? (SPOILERS: NO JUST YELLING)

Also: nitrous huffing teens! Lucy gets angry at Young Avengers! Sass!

• Moon Knight - Warren Ellis, Declan Shalvey, Jordie Bellaire
• Robert Moses - Pierre Christin, Olivier Balez
• Kaptara - Chip Zdarsky & Kagan Mcleod
• The Desert Peach - Donna Barr
• Rock & Riot - Chelsey Furedi
• Young Avengers - Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie, Matt Hollingsworth
• Low - Rick Remender & Greg Tocchini
• God Hates Astronauts - Ryan Browne
• Chip Zdarsky's Watchmen Sequel

Podcast Episode 35: Indie Comics Roundup (Sort Of)

This week is a roundup of indie comics - coincidentally about 90% of what we were reading anyway. Think of us as Newsnight Review for comics, if Bonnie Greer was shitfaced and Tom Paulin had figured out how to hide his obvious depression behind overlong foul-mouthed tirades. What's that? You already do? Excellent! Let's crack on.

We read:

• Descender - Jeff Lemire & Dustin Nguyen
• The Fade Out - Ed Brubaker & Sean Philips
• Satellite Sam - Matt Fraction & Howard Chaykin
• I am Fire - Rachel Smith
• The Red Road - Rozi Hathaway
• Roller Girl - Victoria Jamieson
• I don’t Like My Hair Neat - Julia Scheele
• Solo - Hope Larson
• El Deafo - Cece Bell
• Giant Days - John Allison & Lissa Treiman
• Sam Zabel and the Magic Pen - Dylan Horrocks
• Howard The Duck - Chip Zdarsky, Joe Quinones
• Nemo: River of Ghosts - Alan Moore & Kevin O'Neill

This episode is sponsored by cold medicine, cheese curds, and NIGHTMARE FOREST CIRCUSES.

Podcast Episode 33: She Makes Comics

This week we watched Marissa Stotter's documentary She Makes Comics, a history of women in comics creation and fandom. We also run down some recent comics that we've been reading.

I've got to level with you, Lucy says "anus" repeatedly in this episode for no discernible reason. Also you can find out what swimming certificates we each have. Shall we?

This week we read:

• Saga - Brian K Vaughan and Fiona Staples
• Wytches - Scott Snyder and Jock
• Friends With Boys - Faith Erin Hicks
• I Don’t Like My Hair Neat 2 - Julia Schiele
• The Side Effects of the Cocaine - Sean T Collins/Isaac Moylan
• Satellite Sam - Matt Fraction and Howard Chaykin
• Velvet - Ed Brubaker, Steve Epting, Elizabeth Breitweiser
• Sex Criminals - Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky
• Casanova: Acedia - Matt Fraction, Michael Chabon, Gabriel Ba, Fabio Moon
• Miss Don’t Touch Me - Hubert and Kerascoet
• The Sculptor - Scott McCloud
• Nameless - Grant Morrison, Chris Burnham, Nathan Fairbairn
• Trees - Warren Ellis and Jason Howard

And that Matt Kindt comic Roger was talking about was Divinity.

Podcast Episode 21 - Music

With The Wicked and the Divine out, we look at some other comics that touch on music, or have music at their core, as well as ranting about publishing and hearing about the time Dave nearly had a breakdown in a supermarket when Avril Lavigne came on the radio.

We also discuss different approaches you can take in the workplace when faced with a Phantom Pooper. It's basically a public service we're running here.

We talk about:

• The Wicked and the Divine - Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie
• Phonogram: The Singles Club - Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie
• Silver Surfer - Dan Slott, Mike Allred, Laura Allred
• Sex Criminals - Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky
• The Fifth Beatle - Vivek Tiwary, Kyle Baker, Andrew C Robinson
• Chew - Rob Guillory, John Layman
• Hip Hop Family Tree - Ed Piskor
• 100% - Paul Pope
• Krent Able's Big Book of Mischief - Krent Able

Roger shitting on about poetry:

• The collected poems of Edward Dorn
• Text of On the debt my mother owed to Sears Roebuck

Podcast Episode 17 - Crime

CRIME IS EVERYWHERE. Well, there's a bit. There's a lot in comics too! We take a detailed forensic look at some of our favourite pulp and noir comics, talk about some real life crimes that may or may not have happened. They're pretty exciting crimes! Plus the usual filth and nonsense.

Comics we covered in this episode:

• Transmetropolitan by Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson
• Zombo by Al Ewing and Henry Flint
• Umbrella Academy by Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba
• Parker by Darwyn Cooke, adapted from Donald Westlake
• Fatale by Ed Brubaker and Sean Philips
• Mass Effect: Redemption by Various
• Blacksad by Juanjo Guarnido and Juan Diaz Canales
• Britten & Brulightly by Hannah Berry
• Batman ‘66 by Various
• East of West by Jonathan Hickman and Nick Dragotta
• Pretty Deadly by Kelly Sue DeConnick, Emma Rios and Jordie Bellaire
• Whiteout by Ed Rucka and Steve Lieber
• Lumberjanes by Grace Ellis, Noelle Stevenson and Brooke A. Allen
• Sex Criminals by Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky
• Thief of Thieves by Robert Kirkman, Nick Spencer and Shawn Martinbrough
• Top 10 - Alan Moore and Gene Ha
• Gotham Central - Ed Brubaker, Greg Rucka and Michael Lark
• Identity Crisis - Brad Meltzer, Rags Morales and Michael Bair
• Sin City - Frank Miller
• Stumptown - Ed Rucka and Matthew SouthWorth

The Wilkinson Lewis family:

• Yes Hive Overlord
• Music!

Podcast Episode 7 - Women and Comics

The whole monolithic business of comics hasn't been especially great to women historically, and in recent weeks there's been a flare up of tone deaf and flat-out stupid anti-woman statements from some of the biggest names in comics. What can we do? Have a bloody good moan, as it turns out. We also look over some recent releases.

Covered this week:

• Chew
• Hawkeye
• Young Avengers
• Six-Gun Gorilla
• East of West
• Five Ghosts: The Haunting of Fabian Grey
• Sailor Twain
• Yes Hive Overlord
• Sex Criminals
• Chip Zdarsky's Watchmen 2 Treatment (NSFW or anywhere else)

Disclaimer: Alex Hern and Cara Ellison were never at The Spectator. It was the other one. New Statesman. With all the socialists.