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 68 - Comic Shops

We really expected to just talk in gushing tones about our favourite comic shops and then come up with some great ideas for how we'd run our own.

So of course we're ranting about the comics Direct Market. But also some other stuff! 

We read:

• Mare Internum - Der-shing Helmer
• Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet - Ta-Nehisi Coates and Brian Stelfreeze
• Trees - Warren Ellis and Jason Howard
• The Arab of the Future - Riad Sattouf
• How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less - Sarah Glidden
• Critical Chips - Zainab Akhtar and various authors
• The Can Opener’s Daughter - Rob Davis

Comic shops we talked about:

• Gosh (London)
• Page 45 (Nottingham)
• Niche (Huntingdon)
• Dave's Comics (Brighton)
• OK Comics (Leeds)

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 54 - Politics

This week we tread into the murky waters of politics, which means we mostly talk about Transmetropolitan, because most other political cartooning out there is exclusively by and for crazy people, and that ain't us.

This episode has a bad word in it. A really bad one. Lucy done it.

As always, ConSequential is brought to you by fried starches, alcohol, and a lingering sense that something, something we can't even remember, has gone terribly wrong.

And of course, our title music is by Canon Hannon’s Ham Cannon.

We read:

• Transmetropolitan - Warren Ellis & Darick Robertson
• Citizen Jack - Sam Humphries & Tommy Patterson
• Opus - Satoshi Kon
• Paper Girls - Brian K Vaughan, Cliff Chiang, Matt Wilson
• Doctor Fate - Paul Levitz & Sonny Liew
• Constantine: The Hellblazer - Ming Doyle, James Tynion, Riley Rossmo
• Martian Manhunter - Rob Williams & Eddy Barrows
• Bloom County - Berkeley Breathed

You may want to see The Many Cum Faces of George Osborne - and who could blame you?

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 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 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 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 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

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 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 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 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 23 - Spies

Spies are everywhere. Probably. They're hard to see and we're paranoid. It's the booze.

There are plenty of fantastic spy comics, running from crazy hi-octane in the campiest, most sci-fi Bond mould to quiet, tense and introspective thrillers. This week we go over some of our favourites and talk some right old nonsense.

This week we covered:

• Nothing is Forgotten - Ryan Andrews
• Seconds - Bryan Lee O'Malley
• Moon Knight - Warren Ellis, Declan Shalvey, Jordie Bellaire
• Skim - Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki
• Rat Queens - Curtis Weibe and Roc Upchurch
• Judge Dredd: Trifecta - Al Ewing, Simon Spurrier, Rob Williams, Henry Flint, Simon Coleby, D'Israeli, Carl Critchlow
• The Bojeffries Saga - Alan Moore and Steve Parkhouse
• The Coldest City - Anthony Johnston and Sam Hart
• Modesty Blaise - Peter ODonnell and Enric Badia Romero
• Casanova - Matt Fraction, Fabio Moon, Gabriel Ba
• Secret Avengers - Various
• Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D - Jim Steranko
• Desolation Jones - Warren Ellis and J.H. Williams III
• Global Frequency - Various
• Red - Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner

That book on Bond:

• The Man Who Saved Britain - Simon Winder

And a lovely song with the word "Spies" in the title: