Podcast 72 - Gods

Don't call it a GodCast.

Actually don't, that sounded far better in my head. We're talking gods and mythology in comics, with drive-by reviewing of Hamish Steele's Pantheon, a revisit of The Wicked and the Divine, and a bunch of other stuff along the way because we're good to ya.

Benevolent, even.

We covered:

• Lucifer: Devil in the Gateway - Mike Carey, Scott Hampton, Chris Weston and James Hodgkins
• The Wicked and the Divine - Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie, Matt Wilson
• Thor: God Butcher / Godbomb - Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic
• Pantheon - Hamish Steele
• Black Monday Murders - Jonathan Hickman, Tomm Coker
• Injection - Warren Ellis, Declan Shalvie, Jordie Bellaire
• Godshaper - Si Spurier and Jonas Goonface
• All-Star Superman - Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely
• Sandman - Neil Gaiman and Many Others
• New Gods - Jack Kirby

You can also check out our deep dives into the gods and mythos of The Wicked and the Divine here:

• Part 1 (issues 1-7)
• Part 2 (issues 7-28)

That other show of ours was We Will Fix You, and it's a treat for all ages (don't play it to children it's a literal crime to do that).

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 67 - Best Comics 0f 2016

Hot dang folks, it's the end of the year, and that means Best Of lists. We're no exception to this cheap and easy content format, but we will at least give some lucky scamp a prize of each of our picks for the best comics this year.

Our spoilery results way below, hidden beneath this very professional advert for  affordable bookkeeping:

Problem Chimp Will Count For You

(Not an official Problem Chimp Enterprises advert, but I do work in marketing, so, y'know. Sorry.)

Each of Our Top Three Books:

• AD: After Death #1 - Scott Snyder and  Jeff lemire
• For The Love Of God, Marie - Jade Sarson
• The Nameless City - Faith Erin Hicks and Jordie Bellaire
• Rolling Blackouts - Sarah Glidden
• Unsounded - Ashley Cope
• March #3 - John Lewis, Nate Powell, Andrew Aydin
• Vision - Tom King, Gabriel Hernandez Walta, Jordie Bellaire
• Plutona - Jeff Lemire, Emi Lennox, Jordie Bellaire
• 5000 KM Per Second - Manuele Fior

Still Good:

• Saga - Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
• Paper Girls - Brian K. Vaughan, Cliff Chiang, Matt Wilson
• Trees - Warren Ellis and Jason Howard
• Southern Bastards - Jason Aaron and Jason Latour
• Empty Zone - Jason Shawn Alexander
• Doctor Fate - Paul Levitz and Sonny Liew
• Giant Days - John Allison, Lissa Treiman, Max Sarin
• Harrow County - Cullen Bunn and Tyler Crook
• Sixth Gun - Cullen Bunn and Bryan Hurtt
• Squirrel Girl - Ryan North and Erica Henderson
• Doctor Strange - Jason Aaron and Chris Bachalo
• Injection - Warren Ellis, Declan Shalvey, Jordie Bellaire
• Monstress - Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda
• Check Please - Ngozi Ukazu

And also:

• Broken Frontier Anthology - Various
• The Spire - Simon Spurrier, Jeff Stokely, André May
• The Can Opener’s Daughter - Rob Williams

Podcast 61 - Fantasy

We bravely set out to find the very best in fantasy comics, but we got badly sidetracked and got eaten by a Groo, a monster from a videogame that shares its name with a fantasy comic we didn't actually cover. Will that do? I tried.

There's a weird lack of fantasy comics, so we try to figure out why what Mr Hart so kindly refers to as "Elves and Swords and Bollocks" isn't as prevalent as other genres.

We covered:

• A City Inside - Tillie Walden
• Oishinbo - Tetsu Kariya, Akira Hanasaki
• Black Monday Murders - Jonathan Hickman, Tomm Coker
• Dicebox - Jenn Manley Lee
• Echo’s Rift  Jennifer Potter
• Unsounded - Ashley Cope
• Stand Still, Stay Silent - Minna Sundberg
• The Lost Oracle - Lho Brockhoff
• Cry Havoc - Si Spurrier, Ryan Kelly, Nick Filardi, Matt Wilson, Lee Loughridge
• Weirdworld - Sam Humphries, Michael Del Mundo
• Injection - Warren Ellis, Declan Shalvey, Jordie Bellaire
• Pretty Deadly - Kelly-Sue DeConnick, Emma Rios, Jordie Bellaire
• Ghastly - "Ghastly" (This is very not safe for work you guys)

The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction entry on fantasy comics.

Podcast 55 - Webcomics Revisited

Disease and a lack of free time have delayed our return - if your time is as obviously precious as ours, let us steer you through the murky, yaoi-filled waters of webcomics and onto the safer shores of whatever weird porn it is that you like instead.

Also learn which version of Doctor Who is sexually attracted to! Listen to us talk ourselves out of joining the CIA! More!

We talked about:

• Injection - Warren Ellis, Declan Shalvey, Jordie Bellaire
• Limbo - Dan Watters & Caspar Wijngaard
• The Broken Frontier Anthology - Various, edited by Wendy and Tyler Chin-Tanner
• Quicksilver - Emily Smith
• Judecca - Noora Heikkilä and Jonathan Meecham  
• Hotblood - Toril Orlesky
• Check Please - Ngozi Ukazu
• Fascist Friends - Erin Lux
• Drugs and Wires - Cryoclaire & IO Black
• Griefer Belt - Kali de Wild
• Tim Ginger - Julian Hanshaw
• Doctor Fate - Paul Levitz & Sonny Liew
• El Que Debe Vivir - The Cuban Government (honestly do not have a link for this one, but the TV show is here)
• Ahoy Booty - Emily Partridge & Lainey Diamond (you can't buy this any more, sorry)
• He is a Good Boy - KC Green
• Graveyard Quest - KC Green
• Achewood - Chris Onstad
• Blue - Pat Grant
• Moon Knight - Jeff Lemire, Greg Smallwood, Jordie Bellaire
• Stand Still, Stay Silent - Minna Sundberg

Podcast 52 - Facing Our Shame Again

We're staring down those books we should have read already, tackling them like mighty colossi and devouring our shame. But not only that!

You probably want to know which cross-channel ferry service has the best buffet. We can help.

You probably want to know what Medieval nuns masturbated to. We can help.

You probably want to know just how much anxiety jam shopping can cause. Fuck yeah we can help.

Talked about some comics too:

• Limbo - Dan Watters, Caspar Wijngaard
• Injection - Warren Ellis, Declan Shalvey, Jordie Bellaire
• Damocles - Joel Callède & Alain Henriet
• Tom O'Bedlam (Free PDF) | Print Copy - Maia Kobabe
• Palestine - Joe Sacco
• Marquis d'Anoan: The Isle of Brac - Fabien Vehlmann, Matthieu Bonhomme
• Marquis d'Anoan: The Black Virgin - Fabien Vehlmann, Matthieu Bonhomme
• Street Dawgz - Lizz Lunney
• Judge Dredd Vol. 1 - Various
• Cry Havoc - Simon Spurrier, Ryan Kelly, Matt Wilson, Lee Loughridge, Nick Filardi
• Akira - Katsuhiro Otomo

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 45 - Gay Stuff (and cheese)

This week, Dave was off in the America doing a business travel, or gentrifying Portland or something. We're not quite sure. Apparently there were food trucks. This left Lucy and Roger to go feral in the best way they know: by eating an enormous fancy cheeseboard and talking about queer comics.

We delve into the origins of lesbian & gay cartooning, eat a "cute brie", pontificate on structural inequalities, and feed Rogger his first Cheesestring.

That part ain't pretty, but the rest is comics.

Books we covered:

• #WicDiv - Team Tumblr
• Injection - Warren Ellis, Declan Shalvey, Jordie Bellaire
• Oh Joy Sex Toy  - Erica Moen and many delightful guest artists
• The Ditch - Kristian Carstensen
• Space Dumplins - Craig Thompson
• Wendel - Howard Cruse
• Stuck Rubber Baby - Howard Cruse
• Dykes To Watch Out For - Alison Bechdel
• This One Summer - Jillian Tamaki, Mariko Tamaki
• Skim - Jillian Tamaki, Mariko Tamaki
• No Straight Lines (anthology) - ed: Justin Hall In particular, excerpts from:
  • Poppers - Jerry Mills
  • Child Labor - Mary Wings
  • Cy Ross and the SQ Syndrome - Burton Clarke
  • The Tortoise and The Scorpion - Carl Vaughn Frick
  • I Know You Are But What Am I - Robert Triptow
  • The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green - Eric Orner
  • Sexile - Jamie Cortez
  • Instruction - Robert Kirby & D. Travers Scott
  • Side By Side - Mioki (basically porn, hey - we don't always warn you...)
  • Kyle's B&B - Greg Fox
  • Seven Miles A Second - David Wojnarowicz, James Romberger, Marguerite Van Cook
  • Honor Girl - Maggie Thrash

There's a PDF preview of the first few pages of No Straight Lines here

cheese

Cheeses we ate:

• Neufchatel
• Taleggio
• Sussex Slipcote (so good)
• Chevre
• Cheesestrings

The podcast wine today was an unremarkable Chinon.

We also asked for queer webcomic recommendations.

So why not do that in the comments, if you're a generally kind sort.

Podcast 41 - Warren Ellis' Spies

In the run-up to Warren Ellis' James Bond comics launch, we look at the espionage highlights of Weird Uncle Warren. The man writes about the fallout and faded glory of the intelligence agencies with a weird panache. Plus new releases and the end of Hawkeye, because we're good to ya.

We read:

• Empty Zone - Jason Shawn Alexander
• Aama - Frederick Peeters
• Parallel Lines - Richard Swan
• Hawkeye - Matt Fraction, David Aja, Matt Hollingsworth
• Island - Brandon Graham et al
• Injection - Warren Ellis, Declan Shalvey, Jordie Bellaire
• Godzilla in Hell - James Stokoe
• Desolation Jones - Warren Ellis, J.H. Williams
• Planetary - Warren Ellis, John Cassady
• SVK - Warren Ellis, D'Israeli, Berg
• Red - Warren Ellis, Cully Hamner
• The Man Who Saved Britain - Simon Winder

Podcast 38 - Our Secret Shame

No matter how well read you are (and we're all amazingly well-read, clearly), there are always blind spots. We talk about the big hoary beast comics that we've been avoiding, tell you why, and vow to go away and improve ourselves. It's going to be a journey. But hey, it's not all brutal introspection. We also talk about a ton of exciting new comics!

We talked about:

• The Red Road - Rozi Hathaway
• Roller Girl - Victoria Jamieson
• Sam Zabel & the Magic Pen - Dylan Horrocks
• Injection - Warren Ellis, Declan Shalvey, Jordie Bellaire
• Station 16 - Yves H, Hermann
• Pisces - Kurtis J Weibe, Johnnie Christmas
• Shadows of Salamanca - Christopher Bec and Stefano Raffaele
• Vacancy - Jen Lee
• The Hunter - Joe Sparrow
• Fantasy Sports #1 - Sam Bosma
• Supermutant Magic Academy - Jillian Tamaki