Podcast Episode 30 - Best Comics of 2014

2014, eh? Prick of a year. Still, there were plenty of great comics out there, and we've rounded up our favourites. One lucky soul will even win our two top picks, if you booked yourself a Bullshit Bingo card. All you have to do is listen for certain key phrases and mark them off when you hear them. The first person to yell "house" at us on

Twitter

or over

email

walks away with this fantastic prize*.

We have a winner! Thanks to those who joined in the Dionysian

bingo frenzy

Our combined longlists are way, way below, so as not to ruin the surprise.

• Mulp: Matt Gibbs and Sara Dunkerton
• Blacksad: Juan Diaz Canales and Juanjo Guarnido
• TJ & Amal: E.K Weaver
• Trees: Warren Ellis and Jason Howard
• Will O The Wisp: Megan Hutchinson and Tom Hammock
• Moon Knight: Warren Ellis, Declan Shalvey, Jordie Bellaire
• Pretty Deadly: Kelly-Sue DeConnick, Emma Rios, Jordie Bellaire
• Beautiful Darkness: Fabien Vehlmann and Kerascoet
• The Motherless Oven: Rob Davis
• The Wrenchies: Farel Dalrymple
• This One Summer: Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki
• Through the Woods: Emily Carroll
• Hip-Hop Family Tree: Ed Piskor
• Just So Happens: Fumio Obata
• The Wicked and the Divine: Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie
• Moonhead and the Music Machine: Andrew Rae
• The Collector: Sergio Toppi
• Shoplifter: Michael Cho
• Silver Surfer: Dan Slott, Michael Allred, Laura Allred
• Saga: Brian K Vaughan, Fiona Staples
• Hawkeye: Matt Fraction, David Aja, Annie Wu
• Mind MGMT: Matt Kindt
• Poorly Drawn Lines: Reza Farazmand

...and our special treat at the end, A Naughty Boy for Krampus.

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 18 - TCAF

Dave's been in The Canada, attending TCAF, so we talk about comics and comics shows and Canada. We also talk quite a lot about everything that is wrong with society, and some things that are wrong with Star Trek.

• Beautiful Darkness: Fabien Vehlmann and Kerascoët
• Hip Hop Family Tree: Ed Piskor
• The Undertaking of Lily Chen: Danica Novgorodoff
• Andre The Giant - Life and Legend: Box Brown
• Celeste: I.N.J. Culbard
• Pregnant Butch: A.K. Summers (and here's Roger's review / critique)
• The Spectral Engine: Ray Fawkes
• Trees: Warren Ellis and Jason Howard
• The Strumpet: Various
• Silly Kingdom: Katie Shanahan and Steven Shanahan (and their podcast which I cannot pronounce, but is very good, Shanahanigans).

We also mentioned Lucy Bellwood's Oh Joy Sex Toy strip, and the Kickstarter for the book of the first year's strips - get on that.

Podcast Episode 5 - Non-Fiction Comics

This week we pile into non-fiction comics, looking at the huge range of high-quality biographical, journalistic or otherwise not-made-up comics on the shelves. Covering books on topics ranging from the invention of the Pot Noodle to life as a tall ship sailor via the battle of Crecy and prostitution and sickness in the 80s New York art scene, there's going to be something to interest everyone, as they say on the Shopping Channel.

We also have some cross-generational strife about Kenickie and talk about why mimes are awful. This episode features a musical interlude from the pan pipe stylings of Lucy Boyes.

A quick reminder: if you like our theme music, electronic music, or supporting good causes, the Music By Programmers album has more tracks from the composer of our theme, Chris Whitworth. It supports various projects at Bletchley Park.

Comics we talked about this week:

• Young Avengers
• Adamtine
• Boulet comics (especially The Long Journey)
• Eustace
• Project X: Cup Noodle
• 7 Miles a Second
• We Won't See Auschwitz
• Lucy Knisley - French Milk | Relish
• Lucy Bellwood - Baggywrinkles | True Believer
• Guy Delisle - Pyongyang | Jerusalem | Shenzhen
• Symbolia
• Carnet de Voyage
• Alison Bechdel - Fun Home | Are You My Mother?
• Art Spiegelman - Maus | In the Shadow of No Towers
• Ed Piskor - Wizzywig | Hip-Hop Family Tree
• Osprey Comics
• Crécy
• Understanding Comics
• Joe Sacco - Palestine | Safe Area Gorazde
• Kate Beaton

And not a comic, but worth a read - We'll Get 'Em in Sequins.