Study Comics Club with Paul ('The Paul List')

Images to go with Tuesday, 8/15/2017 episode of the Comics Syllabus podcast at Multiversitycomics.com, where Multiversity’s Kent Falkenberg analyzes the  Matt and Sharlene Kindt’s “Dept H” from Dark Horse Comics.

From “Dept H” #13, p2-3:

From “Dept H” #14, p8 (left) and #15, p13 (right)

This week's Comics Syllabus podcast digs deep into the "Year One" story arc from "Wonder Woman" #2, 4, 6, 10, 12, and 14 by writer Greg Rucka, artist Nicola Scott, colorist Romulo Fajardo Jr., and letterer Jodi Wynne (leaving out an interlude in issue 8 with Bilquis Everly on art). I draw heavily on Carolyn Cocca's Superwomen: Gender, Power, and Representation (Bloomsbury), recently nominated for an Eisner, to consider the heavy "representational weight" that Wonder Woman has historically carried as the iconic female superhero. I think about how the "Year One" creative team deals with (or doesn't deal with) this history and the present in the pages and panels of their new origin story for Wonder Woman. (For a briefer primer on Wonder Woman and cultural history, check out this piece from the Nib by Lucy Bellwood and Sarah Mirk.)

Also mentioned in this episode: an editorial from the National Review quoting a commentary piece from the James G. Martin Center throwing shade on the trend of comics in college classrooms, and the venerable Comixscholars listserv where great researchers and theorists fan the flames.

SPOILER WARNING: In the beginning of the episode, we discuss Wonder Woman and comics in non-spoilery general terms. But after the first break at ( 33:00 ), we start diving into close-readings of the chosen work. So if you don't want to be spoiled on the events and details of this work, please go and read it first, and come back to finish the episode with us and enjoy it with us. Consider it homework, but more fun.

Listen to the podcast on Soundcloud here.

You can find archives for this podcast (previously named "Study Comics with Paul") here. Or find the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, or Soundcloud, or copy this RSS feed to your podcatcher.  You can also follow Paul on Twitter. Thanks for listening.

IMAGES DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE:

Themyscira vs. "Man's" World Redux

The Princess's Descent

The Golden Perfect and a Circle of Truth

"I Am Wonder"

and just for fun...

Listen here on Soundcloud!

Our Family Friday podcast looks at ‘Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant’ and ‘Delilah Dirk and the King’s Shilling’ by Tony Cliff (all art above by Tony Cliff) from First Second. Paul drools over the lively and exhilarating art, but also heaps praise on the ranginess of the adventure stories that Cliff meticulously crafts and tells in these compelling tales of the butt-kicking Dirk and her companion and friend Selim. Let’s dig deep!

Upcoming Episodes of ‘Study Comics with Paul’ (Read along! Send me your thoughts and questions!) SP4RX by Wren McDonald (NoBrow) Kamandi Challenge 1-2 by Various (DC) Bakuman by Ohba and Obata and Weekly Shonen Jump (Viz) Lazarus 22-25 by Rucka and Lark (Image) 

Study Comics with Paul is a comics analysis podcast. It's like a comics seminar, but the only prerequisite is love. I'm Paul, a literacy researcher, English teacher, and comics reader, and every week I take a work from a wide range of comics and apply various approaches to analysis.

You can also subscribe to the podcast through iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/paul-list-comics-analysis/id1130632546?mt=2

or through the RSS feed: http://feeds.soundcloud.com/users/soundcloud:users:235183739/sounds.rss

Past episodes of the podcast are at https://soundcloud.com/twoplai

Listen on Soundcloud

Throwback Thursday has Paul mealy-mouthed about the moral framework of Preacher by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon (colored by Hollingsworth and Rambo, lettered by Clem Robins, cover above by Glen Fabry) from DC/Vertigo. Let's dig deep!

Upcoming Episodes of ‘Study Comics with Paul’ (Read along! Send me your thoughts and questions!) Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant/King’s Shilling by Tony Cliff (First Second) SP4RX by Wren McDonald (NoBrow) Kamandi Challenge 1-2 by Various (DC) Bakuman by Ohba and Obata and Weekly Shonen Jump (Viz) Lazarus 22-25 by Rucka and Lark (Image)

Study Comics with Paul is a comics analysis podcast. It's like a comics seminar, but the only prerequisite is love. I'm Paul, a literacy researcher, English teacher, and comics reader, and every week I take a work from a wide range of comics and apply various approaches to analysis.

You can also subscribe to the podcast through iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/paul-list-comics-analysis/id1130632546?mt=2

or through the RSS feed: http://feeds.soundcloud.com/users/soundcloud:users:235183739/sounds.rss

Past episodes of the podcast are at https://soundcloud.com/twoplai

Listen on Soundcloud 

‘Study Comics with Paul’ discusses Mosaic issue 5 (and the issues leading up to it) by Geoffrey Thorne (w), Khary Randolph (a), Thony Silas (a), cover by Mike Del Mundo (above), and others. Paul’s interested in how the new Inhuman (or NuHuman? I dunno...) manifests powers that get at questions of identity and selfhood in a very public lifeworld. Let’s dig deep!

Upcoming Episodes of ‘Study Comics with Paul’ (Read along! Send me your thoughts and questions!) Mosaic (1-5) by Thorne and Randolph (Marvel) Preacher: Until the End of the World by Ennis and Dillon (DC/Vertigo) Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant/King’s Shilling by Tony Cliff (First Second) SP4RX by Wren McDonald (NoBrow) Kamandi Challenge 1-2 by Various (DC) Bakuman by Ohba and Obata and Weekly Shonen Jump (Viz) Lazarus 22-25 by Rucka and Lark (Image)

Study Comics with Paul is a comics analysis podcast. It's like a comics seminar, but the only prerequisite is love. I'm Paul, a literacy researcher, English teacher, and comics reader, and every week I take a work from a wide range of comics and apply various approaches to analysis.

You can also subscribe to the podcast through iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/paul-list-comics-analysis/id1130632546?mt=2

or through the RSS feed: http://feeds.soundcloud.com/users/soundcloud:users:235183739/sounds.rss

Past episodes of the podcast are at https://soundcloud.com/twoplai

Image from Wren McDonald’s “SP4RX” (NoBrow) via http://nobrow.net/shop/sp4rx/

 A different kind of episode. More informal and chatty, "Review Session with Sonny" is where Paul tries to convince his brother Sonny, a somewhat erstwhile comics reader, to read widely and dig deep, and Sonny comes back with his honest responses and appraisals.

Listen at: http://soundcloud.com/twoplai/110-review-session-with-sonny-1

Comics we discuss:

Paul’s “Pick Remender”: Mother Panic 3, by Jody Houser and Tommy Lee Edwards (DC/Young Animal) and Jessica Jones 5, by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos (Marvel)

Paul’s “TryMe Hernandez”: SP4RX by Wren McDonald (Nobrow)

Paul’s “Fail Simone”: Weekly Shonen Jump’s “We Never Learn”

Paul’s “Elsa Chart-top-ier”: Black Monday Murders by Jonathan Hickman and Tomm Coker (Image)

Study Comics with Paul is a comics analysis podcast. It's like a comics seminar, but the only prerequisite is love. I'm Paul, a literacy researcher, English teacher, and comics reader, and every week I take a work from a wide range of comics and apply various approaches to analysis.

You can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes or through the RSS feed.

Past episodes of the podcast are at https://soundcloud.com/twoplai

The Study Comics with Paul podcast http://studycomics.club/ looks at Melissa Mendes’ Lou from Alternative Comics (via the Sequential App), about a girl and her family in rural New England. Paul thinks about the universality and specificity of cartooning and of this story of childhoods, especially in a time when urban vs rural, or New England/West Coast vs Beltway differences are so underscored. 

Listen here: https://soundcloud.com/twoplai/109-lou-by-melissa-mendes-alternative-comics

Lou: http://indyworld.com/imprints/alternative-comics/melissa-mendes/lou/

Amazon Associates link to buy Lou: http://amzn.to/2k8xB94

This week, Paul's sick, so he calls on his favorite guest, Cohost Kid, to talk about some of her favorite current comics reads, namely the DC Secret Hero Society books (by Derek Fridolis and Dustin Nguyen from Scholastic) Yotsuba (or Yotsuba&!) by Kiyohiko Azuma from Yen Press, and the Donald Ducks and Uncle Scrooge comics by Carl Barks and Don Rosa collected by Fantagraphics.

Listen at https://soundcloud.com/twoplai/108-all-ages-favs-w-cohost-kid-dc-secret-hero-society-yotsuba-and-donald-duck

Find out more or subscribe to the podcast at http://studycomics.club

On this special episode of Study Comics, a conversation with creator Ethan Young about his book 'The Battles of Bridget Lee: Invasion of Farfall' (Dark Horse), his storytelling influences and artistic style, and why Bridget Lee is a hero we all need.

Listen Here on Soundcloud!  You can also subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, and wherever fine podcasts are found.

Also, some explanation of the podcast's status. You can always find the podcast at studycomics.club

‘The Study Comics Club’ with Paul podcast explores Jiro Taniguchi’s ‘A Distant Neighborhood’ from Fanfare Ponent Mon. Translated by Kumar Sivasubramanian, Graphic Adaptation by Frederic Boilet.

Listen here on Soundcloud. You can also subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, and wherever fine podcasts are found.

Greetings! For now, this site is still thepaullist.com, and hosts the podcast that has been called ‘The Paul List: Comics Analysis Podcast.’ But the podcast will be called ‘Study Comics with Paul’ now. 

If you subscribed to the podcast through iTunes or its RSS feed (or another podcasting service like Stitcher, Overcast, etc.), the feed is the same and ‘Study Comics with Paul’ should show up on your podcast feed. 

But the name change matches some (more) shifts coming up for the podcast, and this website/TUMBLR page will see some changes as well. 

You can always follow me on twitter to stay updated. 

https://soundcloud.com/twoplai/104-best-comics-paul-did-not-read-in-2016

What were your favorites of the year? Paul goes through the best comics in 2016 (according to others!) that he DIDN'T read this year. Think of it as his pull list of comics that he's looking forward to digging deep into. And let him know (@twoplai on Twitter what your favorites were, ones on this list and ones that weren't!)

Best Comics Paul Didn't Read 2016 Mooncop Arab of the Future Megg and Mogg Rolling Blackouts One Hundred Nights of Hero How to Survive in the North Nod Away Muhammad Ali Longest Day of the Future I Thought You Hated Me Irmina Panther Hilda and the Stone Forest World of  Edena Corto Maltese

Astro City Unfollow Deathstroke Nightwing Flintstones Legend of Wonder Woman

Spiderwoman Moon Knight Moon Girl Star Wars and Darth Vader Mighty Thor

Invisible Republic, No Mercy, Autumnlands Prophet: Earth War Jupiter's Legacy 2 Lake of Fire Drifter Black Monday Murders

Giant Days The Spire Klaus Joyride Usagi Artist's II Mignolaverse

Black Panther by Coates, Stelfreeze, Sprouse (Marvel) on the Paul List Podcast

(Above Pages Written by Ta-Nehisi Coates, Art by Brian Stelfreeze, Colors by Laura Martin, Lettering by Joe Sabino, )

Listen at https://soundcloud.com/twoplai/103-black-panther-by-coates-stelfreeze-sprouse-story-martin-sabino-marvel

Paul discusses 'Black Panther,' written by Ta-Nehisi Coates and drawn by Brian Stelfreeze, Chris Sprouse, and Karl Story, with colors by Laura Martin and letters by Joe Sabino, from Marvel Comics. Paul talks about the first seven issues or so of the recent series (2016), although with only minor spoils so the episode is friendly for readers and non-readers. Paul touches on conceptions of nationhood, Ta-Nehisi Coates writing comics, contrasts with Christopher Priest and Reginald Hudlin runs, the complexities of leadership, portrayals of peoples, and a little politics.

And now, the links (support your LCS, but if you have to, here's Amazon Associates links for the podcast):

Black Panther v1: http://amzn.to/2h7weKo Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates http://amzn.to/2gc0qEy Coates in the Atlantic: http://www.theatlantic.com/author/ta-nehisi-coates/ Christopher Priest's Black Panther: http://amzn.to/2h7rQLm Reginald Hudlin's Black Panther: http://amzn.to/2h7wicQ Fanon!: http://amzn.to/2gbYRGI Hayden's Middle Passage: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/43076

Pope Hats by Ethan Rilly (Adhouse) and other current indie reads

https://soundcloud.com/twoplai/102-pope-hats-by-ethan-rilly-adhouse-and-smaller-press-reads

'Pope Hats' by Ethan Rilly from Adhouse has four absorbing issues out-- and at last, you can get the second one! For a long time out of print, with the recent reprinting of issue 2, Paul finally gets to read the full story, and talks about what good comics it is, in the vein of Clowes, Seth, Huizenga, Ware, and Tomine. Find Pope Hats at www.adhousebooks.com/

Paul also mentions other comics he's reading and may discuss:

When We Were Kids by Andy Warner (Irene) andywarnercomics.com/store/20090080

The Games We Played by Ryan King and Daryl Toh (Tiny Fugu) studygroupcomics.com/main/the-games…ing-daryl-toh/

557 by Fred Noland frednoland.com/store/store.htm

Hilda and the Stone Forest by Luke Pearson amzn.to/2gC26pW

The Owner's Guide to Terrible Parenting by Guy Delisle amzn.to/2fYU2eH

Lake of Fire by Fairbairn and Smith, No Mercy by de Campi, McNeil, Lee, Kill or Be Killed by Brubaker and Phillips (Image),

Ether by Kindt and Rubin (Dark Horse) amzn.to/2gC3c52

Black by Osajyefo and Smith and Igle (Black Mask) amzn.to/2fYNi0z

The Castoffs by MK Reed, Brian Smith, and Molly Ostertag (Roar Comics) amzn.to/2gBWbRG

https://soundcloud.com/twoplai/101-mighty-jack-by-ben-hatke-first-second-and-pull-list

'Mighty Jack' by Ben Hatke (First Second) is the subject of today's Paul List-- at least one page of it, and at least for the first 25 minutes... Paul digs deep into a page of Hatke's art from the adventurous all-ages retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk, discussing the architecture of panels and angle of limbs, gardens of good and ill, and the wonderful work of Ben Hatke.

Sorry for a long absence, Paul also delves in the last half hour into what he's been reading in comics (see the list below). Let's read widely and dig deep.

Comics Mentioned on Paul's "Pull List": Marvel: Black Panther and World of Wakanda, Champions, Vision, Empress, Captain Marvel, Death of X, Dr. Strange: The Oath, and Ultimates. DC: All Star Batman, New Superman, Doom Patrol and Young Animal books, Supergirl, Super Powers, Trinity, Death: The High Cost of Living, Annotated Sandman, Gotham Central Image: Deadly Class, Saga, Reborn, Shutter, Romulus Others: Slam, Batman TMNT Adventures, Black, Pacific; Moebius: World of Edena, From Now On, Nao of Brown,  Pope Hats, Yotsuba&!, Sithrah book 2, Attack on Titan

To celebrate the Paul List's 100th episode, we feature a conversation with Justin Greenwood, artist of The Fuse (Image) and Stumptown (Oni), and the 'All Time Pull Lists' of various friends of the podcast from different parts of the comics world.

Listen to the episode at https://soundcloud.com/twoplai/100th-episode-justin-greenwood-and-all-time-pull-lists-from-paul-list-friends

(0:00) Introduction to the 100th Episode 

(12:47) Conversation with Justin Greenwood-- see links to images below

'All Time Pull Lists' (lists and links below!) from: (42:10) Johnny Hall (49:15)  Rachelle Cruz (57:57) Mike McQuillian (1:04:08) Jessica Balboni (1:11:30) Cameron Morgan (1:20:57) Seth T. Hahne

(1:46:13) Paul on the Paul List's Future

**Links to Images related to Conversation with Justin Greenwood**

Conversation with Justin Greenwood (Justin’s web site:  http://www.justingreenwoodart.com/ )

Eduardo Risso on 100 Bullets: http://en.2dgalleries.com/art/eduardo-risso-100-bullets-80-pg10-31315

Frank Miller on Sin City: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/da/Sin_City_Hard_Goodbye.jpg

Michael Avon Oeming on Powers: http://art.cafimg.com/images/Category_35728/subcat_76250/ZyRgIlCM_3004151348591.jpg

Paul Smith in X-Men: http://illustrationfriday.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/tumblr_mpf3elTRD21qhpx4lo1_1280.jpg

Mike Mignola: https://www.4colorheroes.com/images/D/Mike-Mignola-Hellboy-Artists-%20Edition-%201.jpg

Dave Johnson covers: http://img05.deviantart.net/383d/i/2010/055/4/a/100_bullets_8_tpb_cover_by_devilpig.jpg

John Paul Leon on DMZ: http://www.johnpaulleon.com/_uploads/artwork/fs/DMZ38_color.jpg

Urasawa in Pluto: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_n5xC4ByBQAU/SuTv5PfDXmI/AAAAAAAAKtk/2GGx-IDcB80/s400/IMG_0009.jpg http://s108.photobucket.com/user/Farskit/media/Lolz/pluto_v08_042.jpg.html http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ut1TT8TBzBw/SuwJJw9l_VI/AAAAAAAAAgE/YhE0ZdJDGQc/s400/halloween+pluto+main.jpg

Nick Dragotta's art from East of West: http://s18.postimg.org/og7790ujd/Nick_Dragotta_Eo_W_1_31.jpg

Justin Greenwood's art from The FUSE: http://www.justingreenwoodart.com/original-art-for-sale/89f4ab7qpt7xlz6wcs8g3zrsojxk93 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/56b11f625559864028f5b41e/t/573dfa182fe1316b6bff795f/1463679517429/

Stumptown: http://67.media.tumblr.com/075c2c279675ccf9c2cf4bee2cfb16c3/tumblr_inline_nhkbff38gN1sqwavq.jpg http://www.justingreenwoodart.com/line-art/u3kgytdb79zo841bvr4iig8aukd8m8

**All Time Pull Lists from Paul List Friends**

(note: Some links below are Amazon Associates links. But use them for reference and support your local comic shops and bookstores! But use the Amazon links and maybe one day I’ll get a $0.35 check.)

Johnny Hall:

Transmetropolitan by Ellis and Robertson (Vertigo; image above) http://amzn.to/2flYSmZ

Rachelle Cruz is at http://www.rachellecruz.com/ and check out her podcast at https://thebloodjet.wordpress.com/

What it Is and Syllabus (Drawn + Quarterly; image above) by Lynda Barry https://www.drawnandquarterly.com/what-it-is and https://www.drawnandquarterly.com/syllabus

Zana (Emet Comics) by Jane Barker, Joey Granger http://www.emetcomics.com/comic-books/ and http://zanacomic.tumblr.com/

Black (Black Mask) by Kwanza Osajyefo (writer) Tim Smith 3 (cocreator, design)  Jamal Igle (art), Khary Randolph (covers) http://blackmaskstudios.com/black/

Boxers and Saints (First Second) by Gene Luen Yang http://geneyang.com/boxers-saints

World of Wakanda (Marvel) by writers Roxane Gay, Yona Harvey, Ta-Nehisi Coates, artists Alitha Martinez, Afua Richardson http://marvel.com/comics/issue/61406/black_panther_world_of_wakanda_2016_1

Prince of Cats (Image) by Ron Wimberly https://imagecomics.com/comics/releases/prince-of-cats-hc

Mike McQuillian’s All Time Pull List:

Darkhawk (Marvel) by Tom DeFalco and Mike Manley https://www.comixology.com/Darkhawk-Vol-1/comics-series/10620

Death: The High Cost of Living (Vertigo; image above) by Neil Gaiman and Chris Bachalo http://amzn.to/2f9jjWo

Bone by Jeff Smith (Cartoon Books) http://www.boneville.com/bone/

Jessica Balboni is part of the Escapist comic book store at at http://www.escapistcomics.com/

5. Gotham Central by Rucka, Brubaker, Lark and various (DC) http://amzn.to/2go6JoW

4. EC Comics: Crime Suspense Stories, such as #22 https://jacks-attic.com/2012/08/01/crime-suspenstories-22-the-most-infamous-comic-book-cover-of-all-time/

3. "Judgement Day" (Weird Fantasy 18; image above) by Al Feldstein and Joe Orlando http://kb-outofthisworld.blogspot.com.co/2010/02/anti-racism-in-1950s-comics-weird.html

2. Saga by Vaughan and Staples (Image) http://amzn.to/2goa6MI

1. X-Men Whedon or Morrison runs: http://amzn.to/2f5UwiB or http://amzn.to/2glS8te

 Cameron Morgan is on twitter at https://twitter.com/spidercam

1. Maison Ikkoku by Rumiko Takahashi  http://amzn.to/2g10thT

2. Rising Stars by J. Michael Straczynski and artists http://amzn.to/2f5UaZs

3. The Ultimates by Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch http://amzn.to/2f5WoId

4. Daredevil by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev http://amzn.to/2gofOhv

5. 20th Century Boys by Naoki Urasawa http://amzn.to/2goeThf

Honorable Mentions: The Long Halloween by Jeph Loeb and Time Sale http://amzn.to/2goeUkX

Crossgen Comics http://amzn.to/2fKG2qe

Seth T. Hahne is at sethhahne.com

Seth’s comics criticism: http://goodokbad.com/

"75 Best Comics by Women" http://goodokbad.com/index.php/about/female_creators

Seth's Top 10: 

Children of the Sea, Daisuke Igarashi (Viz) https://www.viz.com/read/manga/children-of-the-sea-vol-1/8315

Cross Game, Mitsuru Adachi (Viz)  https://www.viz.com/read/manga/cross-game/all

Summit of the Gods, Taniguchi (Ponent Mon) http://amzn.to/2fKtDS8

Last Man series,  by Bastien Vivès and Michaël Sanlaville (First Second) http://amzn.to/2fKnSUK

Duncan the Wonder Dog, Adam Hines (Adhouse) http://www.adhousebooks.com/books/duncan.html http://amzn.to/2fKr6rh

The Nao of Brown, by Glyn Dillon (Abrams) http://www.abramsbooks.com/product/nao-of-brown_9781906838423/ http://amzn.to/2eRrTsU

Daytripper, Ba and Moon (Vertigo)  http://www.vertigocomics.com/graphic-novels/daytripper http://amzn.to/2fZm6UI

Stand Still, Stay Silent, by Minna Sunberg (Self-published/web)  http://www.sssscomic.com/

Blankets, Craig Thompson (Top Shelf)  http://amzn.to/2eMP5oN https://www.drawnandquarterly.com/blankets