Podcast 22 - Englishness, National Character and S.J. Harris

Who better to talk about national character in comics with than S.J. Harris, author of the extremely English Eustace, one of our favourite books of last year? And where better to record that than Rules, ludicrous cocktail bar and oldest restaurant in London? No one and nowhere, that's who/what.

There's a fair bit of noise in this one - it was recorded in a bar, there was another bar outside, a hen party within, a perpetually-circling police helicopter overhead (Roger recently threatened the king of Spain in an elaborate and unsavoury fashion), and to be brutally honest we were just eating bar snacks the whole time with no regard for decorum or your delicate ears. We can only apologise.

We mentioned:

• Eustace - S.J. Harris
• The Ballad of Halo Jones - Alan Moore and Ian Gibson
• When the Wind Blows - Raymond Briggs
• Fungus the Bogeyman - Raymond Briggs
• The Tin-Pot General and the Old Iron Woman - Raymond Briggs
• The Bojeffries Saga - Alan Moore and Steve Parkhouse
• 2000 AD
• The Beano
• Krent Able
• Mr Mamoulian - Brian Bolland
• Adamtine - Hannah Berry

Podcast Episode 11 - The Best Comics of 2013

Holy hell, it's the end of the year. That means only one thing: lists. Here's our review of the best comics of 2013, plus some that we didn't want to leave out so we just included them anyway but talked faster.

Scroll down for the list. It's carefully hidden at the bottom of the page so as not to ruin your listening enjoyment. While you're up here though, why not Subscribe in iTunes, via RSS, or throw charitable money at Music by Programmers, featuring our brilliant theme tune composer Chris Whitworth.

The list:

• Mind MGMT
• Sex Criminals
• Six-Gun Gorilla
• Aama
• The Hypo: The Melancholic Young Lincoln
• The Encyclopedia of Early Earth
• Lighter Than My Shadow
• Bad Machinery
• Eustace

Honourable Mentions:

• The Lengths
• Copra
• Naming Monsters
• The Black Project
• Prophet
• Prince of Cats
• Saga
• OhJoySexToy

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.

Podcast Episode 3: What Comics Should You Give New Readers?

This week we decide what the best books to introduce newcomers to comics. Handy stuff! Don’t worry though, because there’s petulance and swearing aplenty. And quite a lot of talk about OhJoySexToy.com. That bit's a little vile, so maybe jump forward a bit from about 20 minutes in if you're a delicate sort. Smelling salts in hand, we press on.

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. And it's for charidee.

Mentioned in this week’s show:

• Fatale Volume 3
• Saga Volume 2
• Prophet Volume 2
• Naming Monsters
• The Suitcase
• Young Avengers
• Hawkeye Issue 11
• Satellite Sam
• Batman ’66
• Chloe Noonan Monster Hunter
• Eustace
• E-merl hypercomics
• Basically anything by Giannis Milongiannis

The “What to read” books:

• Blankets
• Planetary
• Sandman

Podcast Episode 2 - ELCAF, Fatale and Gender

This week most of the team checked out ELCAF, checking out all the wonderful comics, meeting the nice people, and giving Marc Ellerby most of our money. Those with substance issues stayed at home in bed.

We talk about Fatale’s treatment of gender and noir tropes, the new things we’ve read this week, and Dave has a barely-concealed nervous breakdown over Man of Steel. We can only apologise for the demented music occasionally drifting over this week’s podcast. Please contact a medical professional if it induces melancholy, trauma or death.

Comics we talked about this week:

• Fatale
• Thor: God Butcher
• Saga Volume 2
• The Gigantic Beard That Was Evil (and Stephen Collins' wonderful Michael Gove cartoon)
• 2000AD
• Double Barrel #10
• Demeter
• The Massive
• Supermarket
• Danse Macabre (Dylan Meconis)
• Outfoxed
• Bite Me!
• Marc Ellerby’s Hourly Comics
• We Will Remain - Andrew White
• Eustace
• The Accidental Salad
• St Colin and the Dragon
• My Cardboard Life
• Reich
• I Saw You
• You’re All Just Jealous of my Jetpack
• All-Star Superman
• Superman: Birthright
• Superman: Red Son
• Pictures for Sad Children
• The Silver Darlings
• Rembrandt by Typex
• Science Tales
• Teabag Theories
• Daisy and Violet Siamese Twins

Other Stuff:

• Hourly Comics Day
• The Memory Palace
• Myriad Editions