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 60 - The Eisner Awards

This episode we look at the Eisner Awards, looking at recent winners and asking: "Awards, huh? What are they good for?" Stick with us to find out.

Sixty episodes! Where does the time go? I'm serious, where is it. ANSWER ME, PHYSICS.

We read:

• Deadpool v Gambit - Ben Blacker, Benjamin Acker, Danilo Beyruth
• Empty Zone - Jason Shawn Alexander, Darragh Savage, Luis Nct
• Mechanism - Raffaele Ienco
• Bad Machinery - John Allison
• Gunnerkrigg Court - Tom Siddell
• Giant Days - John Allison  and Lissa Tremain
• Doctor Strange - Jason Aaron and Chris Bachalo
• Vision - Tom King and Gabriel Hernandez Walta

Eisner:

• March - John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, Nate Powell
• Showa: A History of Japan 1953-1989 - Shigeru Mizuki
• Southern Bastards - Jason Aaron and Jason Latour
• Paper Girls - Brian K Vaughan, Cliff Chiang, Matt Wilson
• Descender - Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen

You can find a full list of the Eisner Winners here.

John Barrowman as Squirrel Girl

Photo credit: John Barrowman MBE

MBE

Podcast 58 - The Louvre Collection

This week we look at the Louvre's very own comics range in detail. Plus special guest Chris tells us about ELCAF, there's a diversion about Shakira, and Roger liberally marinades his crotch.

We covered:

• Descender - Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen
• Stickleback - Ian Eddington and D’Israeli
• Mooncakes - Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu
• Family Man - Dylan Meconis

Louvre Collection

• Rohan at the Louvre - Hirohiko Araki
• Cruising Through the Louvre - David Prudhomme
• The Museum Vaults - Marc-Antoine Mathieu
• An Enchantment - Christian Durieux
• Glacial Period - Nicolas De Crecy
• Phantoms of the Louvre - Enki Bilal

Special guest star ELCAF special review special:

• Veripathy - Andy Poyiadgi
• Kadak Collective:
  • The Same Everywhere - Aarthi Parthasarathy, Kaveri Gopalakrishnan
  • My Secret Crop - Kaveri Gopalakrishnan
  • Cat Disco - Rebecca K. Jones
  • On the trail - Anna Ring (Estonian Comics Collective)
  • Blob Squad - Kristyna Baczynski
  • Internal Wilderness - Claire Scully
  • Artificial Flowers - Rachael Smith

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 36 - Sci Fi Roundup

Last time we did sci fi comics, we looked at the psychedelic end of things. Now we're looking at the current batch of sci fi comics. We're the complete package, is what I'm saying here. Also: Trago Mills! Colonoscopies! Beauty and the Beast visit Ikea! Limericks! The velvety softness of hamsters' testicles! And more!

We talked about:

• Brass Sun - Ian Edginton & I. N. J. Culbard
• The Fuse - Antony Johnston & Justin Greenwood
• SAM: After Man - Richard Marazano & Shang
• Gunnerkrigg Court - Tom Siddell
• Trees - Warren Ellis & Jason Howard
• Prophet - Brandon Graham et al.
• Transmetropolitan - Warren Ellis & Darwick Robertson
• Roche Limit - Michael Moreci & Vic Malhotra
• Copperhead - Jay Faerber, Scott Godlewski, Ron Riley
• Aama - Frederik Peeters
• Wild's End - Dan Abnett & I. N. J. Culbard
• Low - Rick Remender & Greg Tocchini
• Fear Agent - Rick Remender & Tony Moore
• Chrononauts - Mark Millar & Sean Gordon Murphy
• Punk Rock Jesus - Sean Gordon Murphy
• Material - Ales Kot, Will Tempest, Tom Muller
• ODY-C - Matt Fraction & Christian Ward
• Descender - Jeff Lemire & Dustin Nguyen
• Nameless - Grant Morrison & Chris Burnham

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.