Podcasts

The TradeWaiters return like the rising sun to bring you All-Star Superman by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely. This limited series turned trade paperback takes us deeper into DC lore than we’ve ever gone before, and we bring you back tales of the unimaginable, opining on pacing, and the magic of character body language. If you ever wanted to know the secret formula for a really good Superman story, or to uncover what superheroes and Pokemon have in common, look no further.

Also mentioned in this episode:
New X-Men, We Three, and Batman and Robin, also by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely
Animal Man, Doom Patrol, The Invisibles, The Filth, and Happy written by Grant Morrison
The Authority and Jupiter’s Legacy drawn by Frank Quitely
Anihilation by Jeff Vandermeer
Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse directed by Peter Ramsey, Bob Persichetti, & Rodney Rothman
Pokemon
Sonic the Hedgehog (the comic)
Superman: Peace on Earth by Paul Dini and Alex Ross
Little Bird by Darcy Van Poelgeest
The Dawn of Everything by David Graeber and David Wengrow
and Casually Comics by Sasha Wood

You can find us at:
Jonathon Dalton
Jam
and Jeff Ellis

Music by Sleuth

On our next episode will be on Barefoot Gen volumes 1 and 2 by Keiji Nakazawa.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, and Ko-Fi.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:05:00 — 59.6MB)

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Sparks artist Nina Matsumoto joins our panelists to talk about The Batman Adventures: Mad Love by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm. This was the first appearance of Harley Quinn in a comic and the origin story of one of DC’s most iconic characters today. We talk about the behind the scenes story of Harley Quinn’s creation, the mainstream comics debut of two of superherodom’s most influential creators, and what goes into making a really good Batman story.

Also mentioned in this episode:
Batman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, He-Man, Dungeons and Dragons, Tiny Toon Adventures, Flash Gordon, Shera, The Real Ghostbusters, and Beanie and Cecil, all shows that Paul Dini and/or Bruce Timm have worked on.
Naruto by Masashi Kitimoto
Dark Night: A True Batman Story by Paul Dini and Eduardo Risso
Animaniacs created by Tom Ruegger
Days of Our Lives created by Ted Corday and Betty Corday
Poison Ivy by G. Willow Wilson and Marcio Takara
Mad Love (the novel, not the comic) by Pat Cadigan and Paul Dini
Suicide Squad, Suicide Squad, and Birds of Prey, all movies by various directors
Stay Tooned by Eric Bauza
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Batman: Arkham Origins
Harley Quinn and The Joker: Sound Mind directed by Eli Horowitz
Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton
The Echo Chamber by John Boyne
Disco Elysium
Germinal by Emile Zola
and If Books Could Kill by Michael Hobbes & Peter Shamshiri

You can find us at:
Nina Matsumoto
Jonathon Dalton
Jam
and Jeff Ellis

Music by Sleuth

On our next episode will be on All-Star Superman by Greg Morrison and Frank Quitely.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, and Ko-Fi.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:17:23 — 70.9MB)

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Are you ready for a tale of tragedy and unrequited love (probably)? Come, sit down, and gather round as we read Descending Stories by Haruko Kumota. This series is “manga on hard-mode,” and is our first introduction to the Japanese art of rakugo, or “falling stories.” Join us as we struggle to grasp the key ideas of an art form none of us have any prior connection to, untangle some (possible) triangles, and discuss the life and death of art forms generally.

Also mentioned in this episode:
You in the Window, Nobara, My Darling Kitten Hair, and The Great Passage also by Haruko Kumota
Your Lie in April by Naoshi Arakawa
Bakuman by Tsugumi Ohba & Takeshi Obata
Barefoot Gen by Keiji Nakazawa
Spinning by Tillie Walden
Failure to Launch
When Light Novel Titles Started to Get So Long by Red Bard
Dashan
Rakugo in English – Zoo by Kimie Oshima
Star Wars Kabuki
Dark Side of Comedy
Northwest Comedy Fest
Just for Laughs
The Artist directed by Michel Hazanavicius
Reign of Fire directed by Rob Bowman
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
and Blow at High Dough by The Tragically Hip

You can find us at:
Jonathon Dalton
Jam
and Jeff Ellis

Music by Sleuth

On our next episode we will be joined by Nina Matsumoto to read Mad Love by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, and Ko-Fi.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:10:52 — 64.9MB)

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This week we read Space Boy by Stephen McCranie. Discussion (and spoilers) for the episode will cover either volumes 1 and 2 of the tankobon-sized graphic novels, or up to episode 32 of the Webtoon. We’ll spend half of the episode talking about the Webtoon format, and then get into this soft scifi story about a girl from space (also there is a boy). We’ll talk about netgear, high school, and also learn that the antithesis of “manic pixie dream-girl” is in fact “moody emo dream-boy.”

Also mentioned in this episode:
Mal and Chad and Brick by Brick: Principles for Achieving Artistic Mastery also by Stephen McCranie
Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson
Astroboy by Osamu Tezuka
The Rema Chronicles by Amy Kim Kibuishi
The Day After Tomorrow directed by Roland Emmerich
Glass Onion and Knives Out directed by Rian Johnson
and Dennou Coil created by Mitsuo Iso

You can find us at:
Jonathon Dalton
Jam
and Jeff Ellis

Music by Sleuth

Our next episode will cover volumes 1&2 of Descending Stories by Haruko Kumota.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, and Ko-Fi.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:04:55 — 59.5MB)

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This week we read The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist by Adrian Tomine, diving deep into the most negative parts of one cartoonist’s psyche. We talk about the important place of “sad old man” comics in comics history, mumblecore, lonely book signings, and how cilantro salad is cringe (but only metaphorically). Also how important format is to the storytelling in this book.

Also mentioned in this episode:
Optic Nerve, Summer Blonde, Killing and Dying, and Scenes from an Impending Marriage all by Adrian Tomine
Death: The High Cost of Living by Neil Gaiman and Chris Bachalo
Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto
Gun Show by KC Green
Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
Ghost World by Daniel Clowes
Our Dreams at Dusk by Yuhki Kamatani
Hokusai Manga by Katsushika Hokusai
Arrested Development created by Mitchell Hurwitz
Curb Your Enthusiasm created by Larry David
Peep Show created by Jesse Armstrong, Andrew O’Connor, & Sam Bain
The Office
Easy directed by Joe Swanburg
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
and Spirited directed by Sean Anders

You can find us at:
Jonathon Dalton
Jam
and Jeff Ellis

Music by Sleuth

Our next episode will cover volumes 1&2 of Space Boy by Stephen McCranie.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, and Ko-Fi.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:06:51 — 61.3MB)

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Jam, Jeff, and JD return to Alberta for the rest of Kate Beaton’s Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands. We still have lots to talk about as Kate survives her own journey of being metaphorically trapped in a tailings pond. We’ll talk about resource extraction, Canadian history, late capitalism, misogyny, and (be warned) sexual assault.

Also mentioned in this episode:
Paying the Land by Joe Sacco
and Anne: An Adaptation of Anne of Green Gables (Sort of) by Kathleen Gros

You can find us at:
Jonathon Dalton
Jam
and Jeff Ellis

Music by Sleuth

Our next episode will cover The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist by Adrian Tomine.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, and Ko-Fi.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 58:59 — 54.1MB)

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Today’s episode takes Jam, Jeff, and JD to northern Alberta with Kate Beaton’s Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands. Kate is better known for her comics making jokes about history, but Ducks IS history. This first-hand account of the time Kate spent working in, and surviving, the oil industry will likely be a primary source for readers for years to come. This is not an easy story, so be ready for it to go to some dark places. Although we’ve saved the conversation about sexual assault for the follow-up episode.

Also mentioned in this episode:
Never Learn Anything from History, Hark, a Vagrant!, Step Aside, Pops!, The Princess and the Pony, and King Baby, all also by Kate Beaton
Pinecone and Pony developed by Stephanie Kaliner
Paying the Land by Joe Sacco
Ride On by Faith Erin Hicks
Canadaland by Jesse Brown
Fantastic Frights edited by Evan Waterman and Hannah Myers
and The Shortbox Comics Fair

You can find us at:
Jonathon Dalton
Jam
and Jeff Ellis

Music by Sleuth

Our next episode will continue our conversation on Ducks by Kate Beaton.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, and Ko-Fi.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:03:20 — 58.0MB)

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This week Jam, Jeff, and JD read and talk about Mare Internum by Der-Shing Helmer. This is a character-driven sci-fi webcomic turned graphic novel that goes to some dark places in the belly of Mars. We’ll talk about dying climates, extraterrestrials, and our panelists’ complete lack of pioneer spirit. Be aware that this book travels deep into depression and a bunch of other content warnings. #abillionyeardepressiveepisode #justMarsthings

Also mentioned in this episode:
The Meek and Alloy also by Der-Shing Helmer
The Ministry of the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson
Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson
Artemis by Andy Weir
Vattu by Evan Dahm
The Next Supper by Corey Mintz
Don’t Go Without Me by Rosemary Valero-O’Connell
The Expanse developed by Mark Fergus and Hawk Otsby
and The Shortbox Comics Fair

You can find us at:
Jonathon Dalton
Jam
and Jeff Ellis

Music by Sleuth

Our next episode will be on Ducks by Kate Beaton.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, and Ko-Fi.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:09:02 — 63.3MB)

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This year our panelists returned to their first convention in a very long time, VanCAF 2022, and walked away with some books worth sharing. We discuss Prince of Cats by Ronald Wimberly, Mmm Syrup and Prayer of the Ninth House by Tajliya Jamal, Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas, Science Ghost by Christian Haruki Lett, You Can’t Get There from Here by Shannon Kao, Where Have You Been? by Ivana Filipovich, Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong by Prudence Shen and Faith Erin Hicks, The Year 50 Project by Jason Turner, and Our Little Secret by Emily Carrington. We also get into the past and future of comics conventions and comics infrastructure, cosplay, -bounding, and Comics Prom. There’s a lot to talk about!

Also mentioned in this episode:
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Firebug by Johnnie Christmas
The War at Ellesmere, Zombies Calling, Demonology 101, Ice, and Ride On all by Faith Erin Hicks
True Loves, The Year 40 Project, Outbreak Diaries, and Sad Vampire all by Jason Turner
You Died: An Anthology of the Afterlife edited by Kel McDonald and Andrea Purcell
The Legend of Auntie Po by Shing Yin Khor
Let’s Write Some Solarpunk by Jam
As well as VanCAF, TCAF, Emerald City Comic Con, SPX, the Portland Zine Symposium, Calgary Expo, Pentacon, Minicomi, Anime Revolution, Anime Evolution, Camosun Comic Arts Festival, and Canzine.

You can find us at:
Jonathon Dalton
Jam
and Jeff Ellis

Music by Sleuth

Our next episode will be on Mare Internum by Dershing Helmer.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, and Ko-Fi.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:34:56 — 87.0MB)

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This week Jam, Jeff, and JD read Yotsuba&! by Kiyohiko Azuma, for a breath of fresh air and a story with the lowest stakes imaginable. We get into reliving childhood, the importance of a good translator, top tier comedic pacing, and ask who this comic is actually supposed to be for (Is it us? Is it made for us three?) We’re not going to ignore some of the gross ecchi, but we’ll also have a hard time not just laughing all the way through the episode.

Also mentioned in this episode:
Azumanga Daioh and Try! Try! Try! also by Kiyohiko Azuma
Peanuts by Charles Schultz
Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei by Koji Kumeta
Ranma 1/2 by Rumiko Takahashi
The Arrival by Shaun Tan
Descending Stories: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju by Haruko Kumota
and Maggie Mae Fish

You can find us at:
Jonathon Dalton
Jam
and Jeff Ellis

Music by Sleuth

Our next episode will be on VanCAF 2022.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, and Ko-Fi.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:01:51 — 56.7MB)

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The TradeWaiters return with part two of The Golden Age by Roxanne Moreil and Cyril Pedrosa. Hannah Myers rejoins us after our long absence, and we check in on how Tilda is doing in her war to reclaim the throne of Antrevers. It turns out, she’s not doing great! Join us as we talk about what’s in the magic box, what’s in a revolution, and the importance of both good government and good panel composition.

Also mentioned in this episode:
Aeon Flux created by Peter Chung
Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
Tehura by Wei Li
Shot and Chaser by E.K. Weaver
Avengers of the New World by Laurent Dubois
and Circe by Madeline Miller

You can find us at:
Hannah Myers
Jonathon Dalton
Jam
and Jeff Ellis

Music by Sleuth

Our next episode will be on volumes one and two of Yotsuba&! by Kiyohiko Azuma.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, and Ko-Fi.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 58:21 — 53.5MB)

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This is part two of Hawkeye by Matt Fraction, David Aja, and Annie Wu, which is included in the trade paperbacks Hawkeye: LA Woman and Hawkeye: Rio Bravo, or else the second half of Hawkeye: The Saga of Barton and Bishop. It’s also by Matt Hollingsworth, Javier Pulido, Francesco Francavilla, and Chris Eliopoulis. We finally get a chance to go deeper into the story of the two Hawkeyes, as Kate moves to LA to hang out with Columbo and Clint goes from futzing around to finding out. We’ll also talk about strategies for writing tricky content and the complications of writing legacy characters.

Also mentioned in this episode:
Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
Monster by Naoki Urasawa
Desperate Times by Chris Eliopoulis
Captain America by Jay Edidin and Dono Sánchez-Almara
Bitch Planet by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Valentine De Landro
Nancy by Olivia Jaimes
Shape of Water directed by Guillermo del Toro
Fight Club directed by David Fincher
Columbo created Richard Levinson and William Link
Jay and Miles X-plain the X-Men by Jay Edidin and Miles Stokes
Star Trek: Lower Decks created by Mike McMahan
Fight Club directed by David Fincher
Spin Doctors: How Media and Politicians Misdiagnosed the COVID-19 Pandemic by Nora Loreto
and BCE by Jonathon Dalton

You can find us at:
Jonathon Dalton
Jam
and Jeff Ellis

Music by Sleuth

Our next episode will be on volume two of Golden Age by Roxanne Moreil and Cydril Pedrosa.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, and Ko-Fi.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:12:34 — 66.5MB)

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This episode covers Hawkeye by Matt Fraction and David Aja. It’s part one of two, and is equivalent to either the trade paperbacks Hawkeye: My Life Is a Weapon and Hawkeye: Little Hits, or else the first half of Hawkeye: The Saga of Barton and Bishop. It’s also by Matt Hollingsworth, Javier Pulido, Francesco Francavilla, Steve Lieber, Alan Davis, and Jesse Hamm. Confused yet? So are we. Honestly JD, Jeff, and Jam are going to spend the first half of this episode airing our grievances about the completely opaque way that Marvel collects its trades. But eventually we get to talk about this really interesting book, how it does a lot of interesting things with the superhero genre and with these characters in particular, and how even in the golden age of graphic novels, there are “mainstream” trades worth waiting for. Also, apologies to Francesco Francavilla and Javier Pulido, we had you completely mixed up for like… most of this episode.

Also mentioned in this episode:
Immortal Iron Fist, also by Matt Fraction and David Aja
Sex Criminals, Invincible Iron Man, and Uncanny X-Men, also written by Matt Fraction
Robin: Year One, She-Hulk, and Amazing Spider-Man, also drawn by Javier Pulido
Daredevil by Brian Michael Bendis, Alex Maleev, David Mack, and Kevin Smith (at various times)
Jessica Jones: Alias by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos
Avengers Masterworks Vol. 1 by Jack Kirby, Stan Lee & Don Heck
Direct Action Gets the Goods by the Graphic History Collective
Hawkeye created by Jonathan Igla
Eastenders created by Julia Smith and Tony Holland
and Casually Comics by Sasha

You can find us at:
Jonathon Dalton
Jam
and Jeff Ellis

Music by Sleuth

Our next episode will be on the second half of Hawkeye: The Saga of Barton and Bishop, or the trades Hawkeye: L.A. Woman and Hawkeye: Rio Bravo, by Matt Fraction and David Aja.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, and Ko-Fi.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:06:54 — 61.3MB)

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For today’s episode Jeff, Jam, and JD are joined by cartoonist Miriam Libicki and her daughter Mered for a discussion about Stargazing by Jen Wang. This slice-of-life story about two girls dealing with life issues big and small gives us lots to talk about, and according to Mered, should be required reading for 99% of the population. So go find a copy and then listen in.

Also mentioned in this episode:
The Prince and the Dressmaker and Koko Be Good, also by Jen Wang
In Real Life by Cory Doctorow and Jen Wang
This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki
American Born Chinese and Boxers and Saints by Gene Luen Yang
Sunny Rolls the Dice by Jennifer L. Holm
Long Tail Kitty by Lark Pien
Monkey King: Journey to the West by Wu Cheng’en, translated by Julia Lovell
Cowboy Bebop created by Hajime Yatate
Firefly created by Joss Whedon
Hawkeye by Matt Fraction and David Aja
Red Rock Baby Candy by Shira Spector
and the Vancouver Public Library

You can find us at:
Miriam Libicki
Jonathon Dalton
Jam
and Jeff Ellis

Music by Sleuth

Our next episode will be on Hawkeye: The Saga of Barton and Bishop by Matt Fraction and David Aja.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, and Ko-Fi.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:00:04 — 55.1MB)

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It’s finally time for the third and fourth volumes of Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata! We finally get to see Light and L become the best of fake friends, and we get to meet Misa, the third pillar of our triumvirate of sociopathic twenty-year-olds. Join Jam, JD, and Jeff as we also discuss social masking, “yes, and” writing, and how much worse having a death note would be once Facebook exists.

Also mentioned in this episode:
Bakuman, also by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata
O Human Star by Blue Delliquanti
Sandcastle by Frederik Peeters and Pierre Oscar Lévi
This Place published by Highwater Press
Behind the Bastards by Robert Evans
Free Radical by Chelsea Manning with Sally Singer
Metis in Space by Molly Swain and Chelsea Vowel
Sherlock written by Steven Moffat
and Sherlock Holmes: a Game of Shadows directed by Guy Ritchie

You can find us at:
Jonathon Dalton
Jam
and Jeff Ellis

Music by Sleuth

Our next episode will be on Stargazing by Jen Wang.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, and Ko-Fi.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:01:08 — 56.0MB)

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For today’s episode we read Paying the Land, comics journalist Joe Sacco’s book about the Dene people, resource extraction in the Northwest Territories, the legacy of Canadian colonialism, and residential schools. It’s a big book with a lot to say on some weighty issues, but we also find time to discuss journalism as an institution, the convenient “boringness” of Canadian history, and even cottage core.

Also mentioned in this episode:
Palestine, Footsteps in Gaza, Safe Area Gorazde, and The Fixer, also by Joe Sacco
Fatty Legs by Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret Olemaun Pokiak-Fenton.
Trickster based on the books by Eden Robinson
Reservation Dogs created by Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi
Highwater Press
and Ecojustice

You can find us at:
Jonathon Dalton
Jam
and Jeff Ellis

Music by Sleuth

Our next episode will be on Death Note volumes 3 & 4 by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, and Ko-Fi.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 59:43 — 54.7MB)

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The TradeWaiters are joined by Hannah Myers to read volume one of The Golden Age by Roxanne Moreil and Cyril Pedrosa. This medieval adventure from France isn’t all that it seems. We talk about colour, innovating ways to show motion through time, our favourite absent meals, and why you should support your local peasant revolt.

Also mentioned in this episode:
Delicious in Dungeon by Ryoko Kui
Strega Nona by Tommie dePaola
Meat and Bone by Kat Verhoeven
Much the Miller’s Son: The Doomsday Book by Steve LeCouilliard
A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
Pseudonym Jones
He Is a Good Boy by KC Green
A History of Debt: The Origin of Money by David Graeber
The Guest List by Lucy Foley
and The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter

You can find us at:
Hannah Myers
Jonathon Dalton
Jam
and Jeff Ellis

Music by Sleuth

Our next episode will be on Paying the Land by Joe Sacco.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, and Ko-Fi.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 55:25 — 50.8MB)

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For today’s episode Jam, Jeff, and JD read The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen, a story about love, growing up, immigration, and identity framed by three fairy tales. This is a work with a lot of depth and a lot of heart, and we hope you’ll enjoy it as much as we have. Along the way we’ll also discuss cats, telling stories through colour, and being LGBTQ in school.

Also mentioned in this episode:
Fauns and Fairies and Twisted Romance, by or drawn by Trung Le Nguyen
Fresh Romance edited by Janelle Asselin
The Big Book of Fairy Tales edited by Walter Jerrold
Sandman written by Neil Gaiman
Big Fish directed by Tim Burton
Bone by Jeff Smith
Making Friends by Kristen Gudsnuk
Sapiens: A Graphic History by Yuval Noah Harari
and Bloom by Kevin Panetta

You can find us at:
Jonathon Dalton
Jam
and Jeff Ellis

Music by Sleuth

Our next episode will be on The Golden Age by Roxanne Moreil and Cyril Pedrosa.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, and Ko-Fi.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 50:23 — 69.2MB)

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It’s time to jump back to the early 2000s. We read the first two volumes of Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata’s Death Note and can let you in on the gritty details. Listen in and you can also hear about Sherlock Holmes’ descendants, the importance of having the right stationary, and the indelicate details of the Japanese legal system.

Also mentioned in this episode:
Bakuman and Platinum End, also by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata
Hikaru no Go and Cyborg Jii-chan drawn by Tsugumi Ohba
Scott Pilgrim by Bryan Lee O’Malley
Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto
Dragonball Z by Akira Toriyama
It directed by Andrés Muschietti
Akira by Katsuhiro Otomo
Tokyo Revengers by Ken Wakui
Sailor Moon by Naoko Takeuchi
Cardcaptor Sakura by Clamp
Puella Magi Madoka Magica by Magica Quartet
Banned Book Club by Kim Hyun Sook, Ryan Estrada, & Hyung-Ju Ko
Look Back by Tatsuki Fujimoto
Conflict Is Not Abuse by Sara Shulman
Aack Cast by Jamie Loftus
Axiom’s End by Lindsay Ellis
and vaccines!

You can find us at:
Jonathon Dalton
Jam
and Jeff Ellis

Music by Sleuth

Our next episode will be on The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, and Ko-Fi.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:02:29 — 57.2MB)

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Wizz! Bang! Pow! This comic is definitely not for kids. No seriously, skip this episode if you do not want “adult” content. This is Sex Criminals by Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky, the comic that asks the question, what would you do if could stop time when you orgasm? What would make you want to rob a bank? What would you do if the sex police caught on to your naked shenanigans? You know, the really important stuff. Also what’s going on with male gynecologists. Don’t worry, we promise not to get too TMI, even though this time we’re definitely NSFW.

Also mentioned in this episode:
Invincible Iron-Man, Immortal Iron Fist, Uncanny X-Men, and Hawkeye, also written by Matt Fraction
Daredevil, Spectacular Spider-Man, and Howard the Duck written by Chip Zdarsky
You’re Wrong About by Michael Hobbes and Sarah Marshall
Yes, Roya by Spike Trotman and Emilee Denich
The Wicked and the Divine by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie
Mangasplaining by Deb Aoki, David Brothers, Christopher Butcher, & Chip Zdarsky
Timeless created by Eric Kripke and Shawn Ryan
Ai Wo De Qing Ju Shou by Karen Mok
The Man Who Sold the World by Nirvana
and Fat Bottomed Girls by Queen

You can find us at:
Jonathon Dalton
Jam
and Jeff Ellis

Music by Sleuth

Our next episode will be on Death Note Vol. 1 & 2 by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, and Ko-Fi.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 50:54 — 46.6MB)

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Special guest Kathleen Jacques joins Jeff, Jam, and JD for a spooky read-through of Emily Carroll’s breakout short story collection Through the Woods. Emily is a master of the medium, and her book sparks conversations about how to do horror in the comics medium, web versus print comics, fairy tales, picture books, and more.

Also mentioned in this episode:
When I Arrived at the Castle, Beneath the Dead Oak Tree, and many webcomics also by Emily Carroll.
Carmen Sandiego developed by Duane Capizzi
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
The B.F.G. by Roald Dahl, illustrated by Quentin Blake
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz, illustrated by Stephen Gammell
Inu-Yasha by Rumiko Takahashi
Karolina Zebrowska
The Crossroads at Midnight and Scarlet Hollow by Abby Howard
Saga of the Swamp Thing by Alan Moore and Stephen Bissette
and Band VS Band by Kathleen Jacques

You can find us at:
Jonathon Dalton
Jam
and Jeff Ellis

Music by Sleuth

Our next episode will be on Sex Criminals Vol. 1 & 2 by Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, and Ko-Fi.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 52:26 — 48.0MB)

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The TradeWaiters are back from another (probably pandemic-related) hiatus. For this episode, Jam, Jeff, and JD read Meal by Blue Delliquanti with Soleil Ho. Have you ever eaten a bug? Like, on purpose? Would you like to? Meal is more than just a great case for entomophagy (i.e. bug eating), cuisine with deep cultural roots in many parts of the world. It’s also a great story. It might even be the beginning of a new tradition of food manga made in North America.

Also mentioned in this episode:
O Human Star, also by Blue Delliquanti, and Beyond, New World, and FTL, Y’all!, anthologies they have contributed to.
Brooklyn Magazine, The Atlas Review, Paste, On She Goes, Edible Magazine, Taste, and B*tch, magazines that Soleil Ho has written for
Propaganda Podcast and Racist Sandwich, Soleil Ho’s podcasts
The Harrowing of Hell by Evan Dahm
Star Trek: The Next Generation created by Gene Roddenberry
and Minecraft Volumes 1 & 2 by Sfé R. Monster and Sarah Graley

You can find us at:
Jonathon Dalton
Jam
and Jeff Ellis

Music by Sleuth

Our next episode will be on Through the Woods by Emily Carroll.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, and Ko-Fi.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 49:40 — 45.5MB)

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This week, or maybe six weeks ago, we read the Slaughterhouse-Five graphic novel adaptation by Kurt Vonnegut, Ryan North, and Albert Monteys. This may be the perfect book to read during a pandemic when time seems unstuck. But never mind the sales-pitch, because if you listen to this episode you’ve always listened to this episode. Detours include the firebombing of Dresden, what a Trafalmadorian comic looks like, and being unstuck in the history of manga.

Also mentioned in this episode:
Cat’s Cradle, Sirens of Titan, Breakfast of Champions, and God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, also written by Kurt Vonnegut
Dinosaur Comics, Deadpool, The Unbeatable Squirrel-Girl, Romeo and/or Juliet, and How to Invent Everything, all written by Ryan North
Universe by Albert Monteys
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein
A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr.
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood and Renee Nault
Babylon 5 written by J. Michael Strazinski
Arrival directed by Denis Villeneuve
Dark created by Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese
and Primer directed by Shane Carruth

You can find us at:
Jonathon Dalton
Jam
and Jeff Ellis

Music by Sleuth

Our next episode will be on Meal by Blue Delliquanti and Soleil Ho.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, and Ko-Fi.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 58:36 — 53.7MB)

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It’s been too long since we last read a book by Mariko Tamaki, so join Jeff, Jam, and JD for Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O’Connell. It’s a high school drama about the multiple endings of a romance, as well as friendship, queerness, and life in general. You won’t be disappointed (except in Laura Dean).

Also mentioned in this episode:
Skim, Emiko Superstar, This One Summer, She-Hulk, and Harley Quinn, all by, written by, or co-created by Mariko Tamaki
Don’t Go Without Me and What Is Left by Rosemary Valero-O’Connell
Steven Universe drawn by Rosemary Valero-O’Connell
Scott Pilgrim by Bryan Lee O’Malley
Stardew Valley by Eric Barone
Life Is Strange 2 written by Christian Divine and Jean-Luc Cano
and the Canada Arts Council

You can find us at:
Jonathon Dalton
Jam
and Jeff Ellis

Music by Sleuth

Our next episode will be on Slaughterhouse Five: Or the Children’s Crusade by Kurt Vonnegut, Ryan North, and Albert Monteys.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, iTunes, Stitcher, and Ko-Fi.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 52:18 — 47.9MB)

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In today’s episode Jeff, Jam, and Jon jump back into the epic world of Landfall and Reef with Saga volumes 2 & 3 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples. We go looking for themes, talk about writers writing writers, and learn more about the many characters the story boasts.

Also mentioned in this episode:
Watchmen, Swamp Thing, and Promethea written by Alan Moore
The Secret by Rhonda Byrne
Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond
Linchpin by Seth Godin
Star Wars created by George Lucas
Lady in the Water directed by M. Night Shyamalan
Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut
Dune by Frank Herbert
Flash Gordon by Alex Raymond
Metropolis directed by Fritz Lang
Lost written by J.J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof & Jeffrey Lieber
Your Lie in April by Naoshi Arakawa
Dakwakada Warriors by Cole Pauls
Jo: An Adaptation of Little Women (Sort of) by Kathleen Gros
and Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

You can find us at:
Jonathon Dalton
Jam
and Jeff Ellis

Music by Sleuth

Our next episode will be on Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O’Connell.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, iTunes, Stitcher, and Ko-Fi.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 58:53 — 53.9MB)

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The wait is over! TradeWaiters Jon, Jeff, and Jam are back with a two-parter on Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Stapes. This episode will cover Volume 1 (which is the first six chapters). Listen in as we revisit a tale as old as time, about a horned prisoner of war from a planet of magic and a winged soldier from a vast space empire falling in love over a trashy romance novel.

Also mentioned in this episode:
Y the Last Man, Papergirls, Lost, Under the Dome, X-Men, and Spider-Man, all written at one time or another by Brian K. Vaughan
Archie drawn by Fiona Staples
Star Wars created by George Lucas
Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto
and Doctor Who by various

You can find us at:
Jonathon Dalton
Jam
and Jeff Ellis

Music by Sleuth

Our next episode will cover volumes 2 and 3 of Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Twitter, iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and Ko-Fi.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 54:50 — 50.2MB)

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We recorded this episode only a few months ago, and yet anything before quarantine began feels like a lifetime ago. Anyways, this is Drifting Dragons volumes 1 and 2 by Taku Kuwabara. Faith Erin Hicks joins us again for a deep dive into a manga about hunting, killing, and eating dragons. We also get lost on detours about analogy, cartoonist envy, and what it means to be famous in comics.

Also mentioned in this episode:
Friends with Boys by Faith Erin Hicks
Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind by Hayao Miyazaki
One Piece by Eiichiro Oda
Dragon Ball Z by Akira Toriyama
Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto
Bone by Jeff Smith
Scott Pilgrim, Seconds, and Snot Girl written by Bryan Lee O’Malley
Homestuck by Andrew Hussie
Dorohedoro by Q Hayashida
Land of the Lustrous by Haruko Ichikawa
I Am Not Okay with This by Charles Forsman
Moby Dick by Herman Mellville
Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
Harry Potter by JK Rowling
Stranger Things created by Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer
The Cove directed by Louie Psyhoyos
The Young Pope directed by Paolo Sorrentino
Undertale by Toby Fox
and Musicalsplaining by Lindsay Ellis

You can find us at:
Jonathon Dalton
Jam
Jeff Ellis
and Faith Erin Hicks

Music by Sleuth

Our next episode will be on volume 1 of Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Twitter, iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and Ko-Fi.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 53:46 — 49.2MB)

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VanCAF 2020 was held online, due to the world being in its current state, and so the TradeWaiters panel we pitched them became an online event as well. I present to you “Reading Deeply,” on how to get the most out of your comics reading experience. We have both video and audio versions of this episode, which I will link here.

The audio quality on this one isn’t great, sorry. Some of us (me) didn’t think to get high quality microphones before a pandemic made new cameras and mics impossible to acquire.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7PWWLnhqFs

Audio: https://soundcloud.com/the-tradewaiters/eps-69-reading-deeply

Our primary examples for this episode are:
Scott Pilgrim and Seconds both by Bryan Lee O’Malley
V for Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd
Berlin by Jason Lutes
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind by Hayao Miyazaki
and Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

And we also mentioned:
Astro Boy by Osamu Tezuka
Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud
Lost at Sea by Bryan Lee O’Malley
Jar of Fools by Jason Lutes
Swamp Thing and Watchmen written by Alan Moore
Sandman written by Neil Gaiman
Daredevil: Man Without Fear by Frank Miller and John Romita Jr.
The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Midnight Gospel by Duncan Trussell and Pendleton Ward
Inglourious Basterds directed by Quentin Tarantino
Seed by Said P.
Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun
and Halfsoul Part 2: Nalia by Kelly Chen

You can find us at:
Jonathon Dalton
Jam
and Jeff Ellis

Music by Sleuth

Our next episode will be the one we recorded with Faith Erin Hicks on the first two volumes of Drifting Dragons by Taku Kuwabara.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Twitter, iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and Ko-Fi.

Have you ever wondered how to eat a suit of armour? Special guest Faith Erin Hicks joins Jam, Jeff, and Jon to find out as we read the first two volumes of Delicious in Dungeon by Ryoko Kui. This cross-genre comedy adventure about eating all the monsters in a fantasy campaign dungeon will give you answers to questions you didn’t even know you had.

Also mentioned in this episode:
Terrarium in Drawer and The Dragon School Is on Top of the Mountain, also by Ryoko Kui
The Nameless City, Friends with Boys, Superhero Girl, Comics Will Break Your Heart, Demonology 101, and Ice by Faith Erin Hicks
Pumpkin Heads by Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks
Avatar: The Last Airbender: Imbalance by Faith Erin Hicks and Peter Wartman
Buffy the Vampire Slayer created by Joss Whedon
Fullmetal Alchemist and Silver Spoon by Hiromu Arakawa
Dungeons and Dragons created by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson
Pokemon directed by Kunihiko Yuyama
Binging with Babish by Andrew Rea
My Hero Academia by Kohei Horikoshi
The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel
Townsends
The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman
Pacific Rim directed by Guillermo del Toro
Space Boy by Stephen McCranie
Monster Temple by Robin Carpenter
Jakface
Weregeek by Alina Pete
Skin Deep by Kory Bing
Stonebreaker by Peter Wartman
and The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells

You can find us at:
Jonathon Dalton
Jam
Jeff Ellis
and Faith Erin Hicks

Music by Sleuth.

Faith will join us again for our next episode, on the first two volumes of Drifting Dragons by Taku Kuwabara.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Twitter, iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and Ko-Fi.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 57:27 — 52.6MB)

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Some might call him a murderer. Some might call him Germany’s greatest doctor. Some might call him a manga “Littlest Hobo.” Doctor Temna returns for Volume 2 of Naoki Urasawa’s Monster, and so do TradeWaiters Jam, Jon, and special guest Nina Matsumoto. Join us as we continue our deep dive into one of the greatest comics series of all time.

Also mentioned in this episode:
Black Jack by Osamu Tezuka
The Littlest Hobo
Twin Peaks created by Mark Frost and David Lynch
Hannibal created by Bryan Fuller
A Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood and Renee Nault
Mushishi by Yuki Urushibara
and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller

You can find us at:
Jonathon Dalton
Jam
and Nina Matsumoto

Music by Sleuth

Our next episode we’ll be joined by special guest Faith Erin Hicks to read Delicious in Dungeon by Ryoko Kui.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Twitter, iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and Ko-Fi.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 45:52 — 42.0MB)

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What’s in a name? Does a name really matter? The book we read this episode is named “Monster” by Naoki Urasawa. Nina Matsumoto (if that’s her real name) joins Jam and Jon to talk about the first volume of this series from Japan’s master of suspense, and we get into deep discussions about good and evil, identity, choice, and whether or not comics characters should have their mouths open when they talk. You know, the important stuff.

Also mentioned in this episode:
Billy Bat, Pluto, Twentieth Century Boys, Yawara, Happy, Master Keaton, and Manben, all by Naoki Urasawa
Meat and Bone by Kat Verhoeven
Astroboy by Osamu Tezuka
Doraemon by Fujiko Fujio
Houshin Engi by Ryu Fujisaki
Dodohedoro by Q Hayashida
Gambling Apocalypse: Kaiji by Nobuyuki Fukumoto
and Paper Girls by Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang

You can find us at:
Jonathon Dalton
Jam
and Nina Matsumoto

Music by Sleuth

Our next episode will continue our look at Naoki Urasawa’s Monster with volume 2.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Twitter, iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and Ko-Fi.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 53:37 — 49.1MB)

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Renowned horror cartoonist Junji Ito has a cat life now. His auto-bio graphic novel Junji Ito’s Cat Diary: Yon & Mu is this episode’s book, and Jam, Jon, and Jeff are joined by Nina Matsumoto to talk about the book, the artist, and what it’s like to live with cats.

Also mentioned in this episode:
Uzumaki: Spiral into Horror also by Junji Ito
On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden
Unhealthy: Two Stories of Mental Health and Body Image by Sarah Winifred Searle and Abby Howard
Surviving the City by Tasha Spillett-Sumner and Natasha Donovan
Boumeries by Boum
Scream directed by Wes Craven
Paranormal Activity directed by Oren Peli
and Sparks by Ian Boothby and Nina Matsumoto

You can find us at:
Jonathon Dalton
Jeff Ellis
Jam
and Nina Matsumoto

Music by Sleuth.

Nina joins us again for our next episode on Monster Vol. 1 by Naoki Urasawa.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Twitter, iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and Ko-Fi.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 33:08 — 30.3MB)

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Spirals: they make ya think! Nina Matsumoto joins Jam, Jeff, and Jon for a spiral into the mind of Junji Ito, reknowned horror cartoonist. His Uzumaki (Spiral into Horror) is an obsessive, surreal story about a town cursed by the spiral. We’ll dive right in, get tangled up, and hopefully make it out again at the end.

A lot of other works came up in this episode:
Gyo and Junji Ito’s Cat Diary: Yon and Mu also by Junji Ito
Sailor Moon by Naoko Takeuchi
The Drifting Classroom and Cat-Eyed Boy by Kazuo Umezu
Animorphs by K.A. Applegate
Mare Internum by Dershing Helmer
Rusty Brown and Building Stories by Chris Ware
Guts by Raina Telgemeier
Manben by Naoki Urusawa
The Exorcist directed by William Friedkin
Suspiria directed by Dario Argento
Stephen Universe created by Rebecca Sugar
G.I. Joe: The Movie directed by Don Jurwich
Key and Peele created by Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele
The Thing directed by John Carpenter
Star Trek: Voyager
Jojo Rabbit directed by Taika Waititi
and Sparks and Sparks 2: Double Dog Dare by Ian Boothby and Nina Matsumoto

You can find us at:
Jonathon Dalton
Jeff Ellis
Jam
and Nina Matsumoto

Nina joins us again for our next episode on Junji Ito’s Cat Diary: Yon and Mu.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Twitter, iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and Ko-Fi.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 53:53 — 49.3MB)

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We continue our journey through Jason Lutes’ Berlin: City of Smoke and Berlin: City of Light. Now that the series is complete, our panelists have read all the way to the bitter end. There is no other way for the Weimar Republic to end. Join us as we check in on how the characters from the first book have fared as we head towards Hitler’s “demon ex machina.”

Also mentioned in this episode:
Josephine Baker by Jose-Luis Bocquet and Catel Muller
Rise of the White Phoenix by Lisa LaRose
Gangs of New York directed by Martin Scorsese
and The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin

You can find us at:
Jonathon Dalton
Jeff Ellis
and Jam

Music by Sleuth.

For our next episode we will be joined by special guest Nina Matsumoto as we read Uzumaki by Junji Ito.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Twitter, iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and Ko-Fi.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 50:13 — 46.0MB)

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Looking for advice on how to survive 2019? Berlin: City of Stones by Jason Lutes may or may not be of any help, but it is a standout work of comics-making brilliance. Jeff, Jam, and Jon travel back in time to Jason Lutes’ window on Weimar Germany in 1928 and watch as everything starts to fall apart. This is episode one of a two episode journey through the Berlin comics series.

Also mentioned in this episode:
Jar of Fools also by Jason Lutes
Finder by Carla Speed MacNeil
Castle Waiting by Linda Medley
Optic Nerve by Adrian Tomine
Love and Rockets by the Hernandez Brothers
Zot and The Sculptor by Scott McCloud
Waking Life directed by Richard Linklater
“A Lost Piece of Trans History” in the Paris Review by Matthew H. Birkhold
The Institut für Sexualwissenschaft
1st Legion of Utopia by James Davidge, Bob Prodor, & Nick Johnson
Homunculus by Joe Sparrow
and How to Do Nothing by Jenny Odell

You can find us at:
Jonathon Dalton
Jeff Ellis
and Jam

Music by Sleuth

Our next episode will be on Berlin: City of Smoke and Berlin: City of Light by Jason Lutes.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Twitter, iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and Ko-Fi.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:00:00 — 54.9MB)

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It’s Twenty-Nine-Zine! The TradeWaiters went to a bunch of Canadian conventions this year and brought back their favourite indie gems to share.

In this episode we talk about:
Doors by the Donut Collective
Giant’s Well by Scott A. Ford
When I Arrived at the Castle by Emily Carroll
Conseal Don’t Feel by Ciil
Counting Sheep by Rhael McGregor
Sobek by James Stokoe
Hey, I Don’t Mean to Be Condescending or Anything, But We’re Friends, You Don’t Need to Be Afraid of Me by Victor Martins
Lamp Comic by Gil Goletski
Called Into Being: A Celebration of Frankenstein edited by Megan Purdy
Ghost Lookers by Christian Haruki Lett
Recharge! by Christine
Once Upon a Time by Chhaya Nara
Aurora Borealice by Joan Steacy
and Meat and Bone by Kat Verhooven

Also mentioned are:
BCE by Jonathon Dalton
The Witching Hours edited by Hannah Myers
Robots, Pine Trees, and Broken Hearts by Cloudscape
Ark Land by Scott A. Ford
Through the Woods and Gone Home by Emily Carroll
Stiff Fits by Gil Goletski and Anna Firth
Osgoode As Gold by the Toronto Comics collective
On Nail Polish and Impermanence by Anonymous
Cat Comics by Jason Turner
The Birth of Linda by Tess Eneli Reid
Space Girl by Awuradwoa Afful
Homunculus by Joe Sparrow
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood and Renee Nault
Sketch Book by Madeline Berger
Sown Growth by Katie So
Barbara by Nicole Miles
and Oh No by Alex Norris

Music by Sleuth

Our next episode will be on Berlin: City of Stones by Jason Lutes

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Twitter, iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and Ko-Fi.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:21:49 — 74.9MB)

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There’s soil and gloom in the black death. Jess, Jon, Jeff, and Jam read Laid Waste by Julia Gfrorer, a tragedy set during the plague. We talk about the end of the world and what it’s like to live through it (or not).

Also mentioned in this episode:
Fire and Ice by Robert Frost
Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
Dune by Frank Herbert
Barefoot Gen by Keiji Nakazawa
Chernobyl written by Craig Mazin
Revelations of Divine Love by Julian of Norwich
Precious Bane by Mary Webb
The Hidden Witch by Molly Knox Ostertag
Comics Will Break Your Heart by Faith Erin Hicks
Prism Stalker by Sloane Leong
and All Shall Be Well, and All Shall Be Well, and All Manner of Things Shall Be Well by Todd Wodicka

You can find us at:
Jonathon Dalton
Jeff Ellis
Jam
and Jess Pollard

Music by Sleuth.

Our next episode will be our 2019 TCAF/VanCAF roundtable.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Twitter, iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and Ko-Fi.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 50:16 — 46.0MB)

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Join us on a road trip (through masculinity). Come Prima by Alfred is a story about two estranged brothers dealing with death, war, shame, and their own frailty. Jam, Jeff, and Jess finally get a chance to read some more bande dessinee, and it leads to a whole lot of big discussions.

Also mentioned in this episode:
Capitaine Fripouille also by Alfred
Dresden Codak by Aaron Diaz
Much the Miller’s Son by Steve LeCouilliard
The Witching Hours edited by Hannah Myers
Chernobyl written by Craig Mazin
Pokemon: Detective Pikachu directed by Rob Letterman
Letters to an Absent Father by Mare Odomo
and Wander by Jam and Sfe R. Monster

You can find us at:
Jonathon Dalton
Jeff Ellis
Jam
and Jess Pollard

Music by Sleuth.

Our next episode will be Laid Waste by Julia Gfrorer.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Twitter, iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and Ko-Fi.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 51:50 — 47.5MB)

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Is Calvin a reflection on the inner child? This is one of many questions raised as we read The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book by Bill Watterson. Calvin and Hobbes are a big part of comics past and present. We reflect on the nostalgia, the history, and the craft of one of the greatest newspaper comics of all times.

Also mentioned in this episode:
Garfield by Jim Davis
The Far Side by Gary Larson
Real Life Adventures by Gary Wise and Lance Aldrich
Cul de Sac by Richard Thompson
Peanuts by Charles Shultz
Rex Morgan, M.D. by Terry Beatty
Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis
Krazy Kat by George Herriman
Maus by Art Spiegelman
Boy’s Club by Matt Furie
Gunshow by K.C. Green
Fortune and Glory by Brian Michael Bendis
Stitches by David Small
Nancy by Olivia Jaimes
Rocky directed by John G. Avildsen
Casablanca directed by Michael Curtiz
Neo Genesis Evangelion directed by Hideaki Anno
and Stripped directed by Dave Kellett and Frederick Schroeder

And our own projects:
Phobos and Deimos by Jonathon Dalton
and Crossroads by Jeff Ellis

Music by Sleuth.

Our next episode will be on Come Prima by Alfred.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Twitter, iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and Ko-Fi.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:09:42 — 63.8MB)

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There are two mysteries in this book, and we solve them both. Jam, Jon, and Jeff read Batwoman: Elegy by Greg Rucka and J.H. Williams III, and it sparked a lot of good discussion. We talk about reasons to be a superhero, how to write in an extended universe, and the gulf between art and script. Join us as we solve the mystery of who Alice is, and why this book is structured the way it is.

Also mentioned in this episode:
Action Comics, Detective Comics, Superman, and Atticus Kodiak, all written (at least at one point) by Greg Rucka
Promethea, Desolation Jones, and Sandman: Overature, all drawn by J.H. Williams III
Fifty-Two by various
Seduction of the Innocent by Frederick Wertham
Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Josephine Baker by Catel and Bocquet
The Obelisk Gate by NK Jemisin
and Upgrade Soul by Ezra Claytan Daniels

And our own projects:
Wander by Jam and Sfé
Phobos and Deimos by Jonathon Dalton
and Crossroads by Jeff Ellis

Music by Sleuth.

Our next episode will be on The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book by Bill Watterson.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Twitter, iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and Ko-Fi.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 48:30 — 44.4MB)

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It’s real-talk, 1906-style. For today’s episode, Jam, Jon, Jeff, Jess, and Kaye read A Bintel Brief: Love and Longing in Old New York by Liana Finck. This unusual memoir takes the advice column from a hundred-year-old Yiddish newspaper and translates it into comics. It’s a unique window into a bygone age, as well as a personal journey through the author’s heritage. It sparked a lot of conversation amongst our group.

Also mentioned in this episode:
Passing For Human, also by Liana Finck
Death: the High Cost of Living by Neil Gaiman, Chris Bachalo, & Mark Buckingham
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
The Odyssey by Homer
It’s a Good Life If You Don’t Weaken by Seth
A Million Little Pieces by James Frey
New York: Life in the Big City by Will Eisner
Which Lie Did I Tell? and The Princess Bride by William Goldman
Vincent by Barbara Stok
Maniac directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga
Chicken Soup and Goji Berries by Naomi Cui and Janice Liu, now on Kickstarter
and the Canadian Comics Wiki

And our own projects:
Phobos and Deimos by Jonathon Dalton
Crossroads by Jeff Ellis
Lunar Maladies by kgros
and Liquid Shell by Jess Pollard

Music by Sleuth.

Our next episode will be on Batwoman: Elegy by Greg Rucka and J.H. Williams III.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Twitter, iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and Ko-Fi.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 54:47 — 50.2MB)

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Archie has continuity now?? For today’s episode, local Archie expert Kathleen Jacques joins us as we read Archie Volumes 1 and 2, the reboot written by Mark Waid and drawn by Fiona Staples, Annie Wu, and Veronica Fish. We discover who has never read an Archie comic before, how the reboot reads to long-time fans, what the deal is with the #lipstickincident, and how this version of Archie compares to a certain TV series.

Also mentioned in this episode:
Saga written by Brian K. Vaughan and drawn by Fiona Staples
Dead Guy Fan Club by Annie Wu
Mega Man, Dexter’s Lab, and Sonic, drawn by Ryan Jampole
Sabrina the Teenage Witch by George Gladir and Dan DeCarlo and Josie and the Pussycats by Dan DeCarlo
Degrassi Extra Credit #4: Safety Dance by J. Torres and Steve Rolston
Delilah Dirk and the Pillars of Hercules by Tony Cliff
The Hchom Book by Marian Churchland
We’re Still Here edited by Tara Avery and Jeanne Thornton
Rurouni Kenshin by Nobuhiro Watsuki
Shonen Jump
Softr by James Brandi
The Sneaky Dragon with guest Dan Parent
and Riverdale by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa.

And our own projects:
Band Vs. Band by Kathleen Jacques
Phobos and Deimos by Jonathon Dalton
Crossroads by Jeff Ellis
Lunar Maladies by kgros
and Liquid Shell by Jess Pollard

Music by Sleuth.

Our next episode will be on A Bintel Brief by Liana Finck.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Twitter, iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and Ko-Fi.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:02:20 — 57.1MB)

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Why Art? by Eleanor Davis is a meditation on what art means for the artist and for society. This surreal story isn’t one that can be easily pinned down, but it is complex and insightful, and Jess, Jam, Jeff, and kgros will spend some time unpacking it with you. Read it, listen in, and decide if you want it on YOUR fantasy football curriculum vitae.

Also mentioned in this episode:
Stinky, Flop to the Top, Libby’s Dad, You and a Bike and a Road, and How to Be Happy, also by Eleanor Davis
Frontier published by Youth in Decline
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
Saberia by the students at Guilford Secondary School
To Kill a Dragon directed by Mark Zakharov
and Anne written by Moira Walley-Beckett.

And our own projects:
Crossroads by Jeff Ellis
Lunar Maladies by kgros
and Liquid Shell by Jess Pollard

Music by Sleuth.

Our next episode will be on Archie volumes 1 & 2 by Mark Waid, Fiona Staples, and Veronica Fish.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Twitter, iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and Ko-Fi.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 42:25 — 38.8MB)

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Comics are the closest thing to the experience of remembering. The Complete Persepolis is Marjane Satrapi’s memoir of growing up in Iran, living through the Iranian Revolution and the Iran-Iraq War, moving to Europe alone at fourteen, and returning home to a country she barely recognized. It’s one of the best comics ever made, and now you can listen to the TradeWaiters gush about it for an hour.

Also mentioned in this episode:
Embroideries, Chicken with Plums, Monsters Are Afraid of the Moon, and The Sigh, also by Marjane Satrapi, and The Voices, directed by her.
Maus by Art Spiegelman
Ice Haven by Daniel Clowes
Brave by Svetlana Chmakova
Dark Angels of Darkness by Al Gofa
Patrik the Vampire by Bree Paulsen
and ASMR cooking videos.

And our own projects:
Phobos and Deimos by Jonathon Dalton
Crossroads by Jeff Ellis
Lunar Maladies by kgros
and Liquid Shell by Jess Pollard

Music by Sleuth.

Our next episode will be on Why Art? by Eleanor Davis.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Twitter, iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and Ko-Fi.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 54:47 — 50.1MB)

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Today’s episode is about unreliable narrators. Also it’s about I Kill Giants by Joe Kelly and JM Ken Niimura. Barbara is a troubled middle schooler who may or may not kill giants, and Jess, Jon, Jeff, and Jam have a lot to talk about as we dive into this story. Unless we don’t. We might decide to talk about pastel goths vs. soft bois instead. There may be a movie adaptation of this book, which you may have heard of, but we haven’t seen it so we can’t say.

Also mentioned in this episode:
Deadpool, Uncanny X-Men, Action Comics, and Ben 10, all written by Joe Kelly.
Americus by M.K. Reed and Jonathan Hill
Tonoharu by Lars Martinson
Long Exposure by Mars
Amelie directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Neon Genesis Evangelion directed by Hideaki Anno
Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie
and the Ride to Conquer Cancer.

And our own projects:
Phobos and Deimos by Jonathon Dalton
Crossroads by Jeff Ellis
Jam’s comics
and Liquid Shell by Jess Pollard

Music by Sleuth.

Our next episode will be on The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Twitter, iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and Ko-Fi.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 59:54 — 54.8MB)

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It’s like Goofus without Gallant. For this episode we read Fante Bukowski by Noah Van Sciver, a short, indie graphic novel about a failed writer who is basically the worst. Check out the book and then listen in to find out what Jess, Jon, and Jeff thought about it. We’ve got plenty of good writers’ tips to share, like don’t die, and manage your moose anger.

Also mentioned in this episode:
Blammo, The Hypo: The Melancholic Young Lincoln, and My Hot Date, also by Noah Van Sciver
As Meat Loves Salt by Maria McCann
The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
Goofus and Gallant by Gary Cleveland Myers
Jon by Gale Galligan
Toast of London and Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace written by Matt Berry
and Noah Van Sciver’s blog.

And our own projects:
Phobos and Deimos by Jonathon Dalton
Crossroads by Jeff Ellis
and Liquid Shell by Jess Pollard

Music by Sleuth.

Our next episode will be on I Kill Giants by Joe Kelly and JM Ken Niimura.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Twitter, iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and Ko-Fi.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 59:57 — 54.9MB)

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Anyone can be a comics reader. That’s an oft-repeated theme on the TradeWaiters. And it became the guiding mantra of our first-ever LIVE episode, recorded at this year’s VanCAF. On “How to Hook Your Friends on Comics,” Jon, Jeff, Jam, and Jess will share four books that YOU can use to get more people reading comics, and offer some advice on what hooking someone on comics really means.

Our picks this week were:
the Elephant and Piggie and Pigeon books by Mo Willems
Bone by Jeff Smith
Yotsuba& by Kiyohiko Azuma
and Acme Novelty Library #18 by Chris Ware

Also mentioned in this episode:
V for Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd
Li’l Abner by Al Capp
Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson
Sparks by Ian Boothby and Nina Matsumoto
Smile by Raina Telgemeier
Spiderman by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko
Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth and Quimby the Mouse by Chris Ware
Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
The Sculptor by Scott McCloud
This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki
Hostage and Pyongyang: a Journey in North Korea by Guy Delisle
Feast for a King by Kosmicdream
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back adapted by Archie Goodwin, Al Williamson, & Carlos Garzon
Rick and Morty adapted by Marc Ellerby and C.J. Cannon
Steven Universe adapted by Jeremy Sorese and Coleman Engle
Home by Marc Michaud and Daniel Michaud
Super Late Bloomer by Julia Kaye
and Pegasus and Bellerophon by Anna Bron

And our own projects:
Phobos and Deimos by Jonathon Dalton
Crossroads by Jeff Ellis
It’s Okay to Sploot by Jam
and Liquid Shell by Jess Pollard

Music by Sleuth.

Our next episode will cover Fante Bukowski by Noah Van Sciver

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Twitter, iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and Ko-Fi.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 45:22 — 41.5MB)

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Get down with the magical commune. This episode Jon, Jess, Jeff, Jam, and Kaye read The Witch Boy by Molly Knox Ostertag, and it was a universal favourite. The Witch Boy is a middle grade graphic novel about magic, gender roles, and defeating dragons. Our panelists also reveal their cat-sonas and talk about the Scholastic book order forms.

Also mentioned in this episode:
Strong Female Protagonist and The Hidden Witch, also by Molly Knox Ostertag, as well as Shattered Warrior drawn by Molly and written by Sharon Shinn, The Castoffs drawn by Molly and written by M.K. Reed and Brian Arthur Smith, and Star Vs. the Forces of Evil created by Daron Nefcy.
Baby Mouse by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm
Garfield by Jim Davis
Asterix by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo
The Stone Heart by Faith Erin Hicks
The Expanse created by Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby
Never Alone by Upper One Games
Money Heist created by Álex Pina
The Vampire Diaries created by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec
and Teen Wolf created by Jeff Davis

And our own projects:
Phobos and Deimos by Jonathon Dalton
Crossroads by Jeff Ellis
It’s Okay to Sploot by Jam
Lunar Maladies by kgros
and Liquid Shell by Jess Pollard

Music by Sleuth.

Our next episode will be our fiftieth anniversary edition, recorded live at VanCAF 2018!

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Twitter, iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and Ko-Fi.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 50:34 — 46.3MB)

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Listen in as Jon, Jess, Jeff, Jam, and Kaye read The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang. This book is a stunning piece of cartooning and an instant classic. It’s a fairytale-esque historical drama about a genderfluid prince and his fashion designer slash muse slash confidante.

TradeWaiters episodes have been sparse in the last few months, which Jon would like to apologize for, so to make up for it for the next while episodes will be released every other week until we’re caught up.

Also mentioned in this episode:
Koko Be Good and White Snake, also by Jen Wang.
In Real Life by Corey Doctorow and Jen Wang
Flight edited by Kazu Kibuishi
Nancy by Olivia Jaimes
Set to Sea by Drew Weing
Super Late Bloomer by Julia Kaye
The Flinstones by Mark Russell and Steve Pugh
and Tomboy Survival Guide by Ivan Coyote

And our own projects:
Phobos and Deimos by Jonathon Dalton
Crossroads by Jeff Ellis
It’s Okay to Sploot by Jam
Lunar Maladies by kgros
and Liquid Shell by Jess Pollard

Music by Sleuth.

Our next episode will be on The Witch Boy by Molly Knox Ostertag.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Twitter, iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and Ko-Fi.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 53:12 — 48.7MB)

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It today’s episode Jam, Jeff, Jon, and Kaye read the first two volumes of Battle Angel Alita by Yukito Kishiro. Join us in the bleak, dystopian future of this nineties manga where robot bodies are cheap but freedom is not. Spoiler alert: one of the Tradewaiters didn’t like this book, and another doesn’t like movies.

Also, you are cordially invited to the LIVE recording of our fiftieth episode at VanCAF this weekend! Admission is free (and VanCAF is awesome), so come watch us talk about comics in person at 3:30 on May 19th in the panel room at VanCAF at the Roundhouse Community Centre in Yaletown, Vancouver.

Also mentioned in this episode:
Space Oddity and Aqua Knight, also by Yukito Kishiro.
Altered Carbon produced by Laeta Kalogridis
Dragon Ball Z by Akira Toriyama
The Wicked and the Divine by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie
The Infinity Gauntlet by Jim Starlin, George Perez, & Ron Lim
Serial Experiments Lain directed by Ryutaro Nakamura
The Wolf-Birds by Willow Dawson
and Eden’s Outcasts by John Matteson

And our own projects:
Phobos and Deimos by Jonathon Dalton
Crossroads by Jeff Ellis
Lunar Maladies by kgros
and Jam’s website

Music by Sleuth.

Our next episode will be on The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Twitter, iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 57:43 — 52.8MB)

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The TradeWaiters read Louis Riel by Chester Brown, which gave us a chance not only to meet our Cancon quota, but to dive deep into Canadian history, as well as a discussion on biography and the journalistic integrity of the author. Canadians can look forward to feeling nostalgic over Expos 86 and 67, while listeners from away can look forward to finding out just how interesting (and how grim) Canadian history can get.

Also mentioned in this episode:
Ed the Happy Clown, The Playboy, I Never Liked You, Paying for It, and Mary Wept Over the Feet of Jesus, all also by Chester Brown.
Canada House directed by Douglas Coupland
Canadian Heritage Minutes
It’s a Good Life If You Don’t Weaken by Seth
Little Orphan Annie by Harold Gray
Passchendale directed by Paul Gross
Sparks by Ian Boothby and Nina Matsumoto
Mare Internum by Dershing Helmer
The Amazing Life of Onion Jack by Joel Priddy
and Firebug by Johnnie Christmas

And our own projects:
Phobos and Deimos by Jonathon Dalton
Crossroads by Jeff Ellis
Lunar Maladies by kgros
and Jam’s website

Music by Sleuth.

Our next episode will be on volumes one and two of Battle Angel Alita by Yukito Kishiro.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Twitter, iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 56:52 — 52.1MB)

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In today’s episode our panelists finish out the extant volumes of Linda Medley’s Castle Waiting with volume two. This volume answers questions about the Doctor, Simon’s father, and Jain’s childhood. We also discuss the most important parts of history, fairy tale endings, where we hope the series will go next, and cartoonist death pacts.

Also mentioned in this episode:
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel produced by Amy Sherman-Palladino
Townsends on Youtube
Age of Bronze by Eric Shanower
Berlin by Jason Lutes
Shadoweyes by Sophie Campbell
Thieves and Kings by Mark Oakley
Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency produced by Max Landis
Firewatch by Campo Santo
One Day at a Time written by Gloria Calderon Kellett and Mike Royce
Night in the Woods by Alec Holowka
Materwelonz on Youtube
Roman Holiday directed by Willian Wyler

and Linda Medley’s Patreon page

And our own projects:
Phobos and Deimos by Jonathon Dalton
Crossroads by Jeff Ellis
kagcomix.com by kgros
Jam’s website
and Liquid Shell by Jess Pollard.

Music by Sleuth.

Our next episode will be on Louis Riel by Chester Brown.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Twitter, iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 52:50 — 48.4MB)

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After much delay, we can finally bring you the first of our two episode series on Linda Medley’s Castle Waiting. The whole team reunites to do a close reading of this indy darling, which takes some familiar fairy tales in new directions. We’ll talk about story structure, sense of place, bearded nuns, and the Heroine’s Journey. Hashtag France is real.

Also mentioned in this episode:
Justice League America and Doom Patrol, also drawn by Linda Medley
O Human Star by Blue Delliquanti
Cautionary Fables and Fairy Tales: Asia Edition edited by Kel McDonald
The Fairy Queen by Henry Purcell
Sandman written by Neil Gaiman
The Sharing Knife by Lois McMaster Bujold
Louisa May Alcott: A Personal Biography by Susan Cheever
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel produced by Amy Sherman-Palladino
It Came from Outer Space directed by Jack Arnold
Tiger Lung by Simon Roy
Sparks! by Ian Boothby and Nina Matsumoto
TCAF
VanCAF

Linda Medley’s Patreon page

And our own projects:
Phobos and Deimos by Jonathon Dalton
Crossroads by Jeff Ellis
kagcomix.com by kgros
Jam’s Tumblr
and Liquid Shell by Jess Pollard.

Music by Sleuth.

Our next episode will be on volume two of Castle Waiting by Linda Medley.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Twitter, iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:04:06 — 58.7MB)

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Happy 2018, time travelers. In this episode of the TradeWaiters, Jess, Jam, Jeff, and Jon read I Killed Adolf Hitler by the Norwegian cartoonist Jason. It’s a short episode for a short book, but it’s a book that isn’t quite what it seems. Have a listen and see for yourself.

Also mentioned in this episode:
Werewolves of Montpellier, Hey, Wait…, and Sshhhh! also by Jason.

Music by Sleuth.

Our next episode will be on volume one of Castle Waiting by Linda Medley.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Twitter, iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 21:15 — 19.5MB)

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Our TradeWaiters haven’t read a NEW comic this week, but we do have a bunch of OLD comics we’d like to talk about that might be new to you. If you’re looking for a comic to give away this holiday season, or a comic to give to yourself, Jess, Jon, Jam, and Jeff have some carefully selected favourites for every type of comics reader. This episode is unusually spoiler-free, so give it a listen!

Mentioned in this episode:
How Not to Write Comics Criticism by Dylan Meconis
Laser Moose and Rabbit Boy: Disco Fever by Doug Savage
Underground by Jeff Parker and Steve Lieber
Fables written by Bill Willingham
Meanwhile by Jason Shiga
To Be or Not to Be and Romeo and/or Juliet by Ryan North
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
Lumberjanes: To the Max Edition by Allen, Ellis, Stevenson, and Watters
Batman: War on Crime and Superman: Peace on Earth by Alex Ross and Paul Dini
Arsene Schrauwen by Olivier Schrauwen
Minus by Ryan Armand
Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
Skeleton Key by Andy Watson
The Gorgeous Harbour by Mr. Clement
Letters to an Absent Father by Maré Odomo
A Drifting Life by Yoshihiro Tetsumi
Sandman written by Neil Gaiman
Monsters by Ken Dahl
Age of Bronze by Eric Shanower
The Illiad and The Odyssey by Homer
X-1999 by CLAMP

and Swan Song, our anthology Kickstarting for one more week.

Music by Sleuth.

Our next book will be I Killed Hitler by Jason.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Twitter, iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:04:47 — 59.3MB)

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Welcome back for part two of our look at Akiko Higashimura’s Princess Jellyfish. Jam, Jeff, and Jon have a lot to talk about for Volume 2 of this series, including our theories, hopes, and worries about where the story might be headed next. Also there’s an anime of this? But none of us have watched it, so our spoilers only cover Volume 2.

Also mentioned in this episode:
Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto
Superhero Girl by Faith Erin Hicks
M.A.S.H. by Larry Gelbart
The Rose of Versailles by Riyoko Ikeda
Cat Rakham by Steve Wolfhard
Jessica Jones by Brian Michael Bendis and Micheal Gaydos
Dorohedoro by Q Hayashida

And our own projects:
Phobos and Deimos by Jonathon Dalton
Crossroads by Jeff Ellis
and Wasted Talent by Angela Melick.

Music by Sleuth.

The book for the next episode is currently TBD!

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Twitter, iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 52:51 — 48.4MB)

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On today’s episode Jeff, Jam, and Jon dive into the first volume of Princess Jellyfish by Akiko Higashimura. This is the first half of a two-part look at the world of the Amars otaku and the gender-bending “stylish” who invades their lives. It’s pretty hard to be compulsively obsessed with jellyfish (or trains or kimonos or old men or BL manga or The Three Kingdoms) when the outside world keeps busting down the door. Join us from the safety of your hikkikomori nest!

Also mentioned in this episode:
Kisakae Yuka-chan, Kakukaku Shikajika, and Fruits Komori also by Akiko Higashimura
Akira by Katsuhiro Otomo
Sphere by Micheal Crichton
The Big Bang Theory by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady
Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong
Sweetrock by Melanie Gillman
The Wicked and the Divine by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie
and Toward a Hot Jew by Miriam Libicki

And our own projects:
Phobos and Deimos by Jonathon Dalton
Crossroads by Jeff Ellis
and Wasted Talent by Angela Melick.

Music by Sleuth.

Our next episode will be on the second volume of Princess Jellyfish by Akiko Higashimura

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Twitter, iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 49:22 — 45.2MB)

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At last we’ve reached the end of our Scott Pilgrimage. Join Jess, Jam, Jeff, Jon, and Kgros as we finish off Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Scott Pilgrim with volumes 5 and 6. In this episode we talk about character arcs, throwaway plot twists, background artists, and More Kim Pine. If you’ve traveled with us this far, take our hand and jump into the void with us one more time.

Also there was a movie based on this book. What’s the deal with that?

Also mentioned in this episode:
Spaced directed by Edgar Wright
The Nameless City by Faith Erin Hicks
Theo Ellsworth
Andrew MacLean
Let’s Speak English by Mary Cagle
and Retail Nightmares by Alicia Tobin and Jessica Delisle

And our own projects:
Phobos and Deimos by Jonathon Dalton
Crossroads by Jeff Ellis
Lunar Maladies by kgros
Liquid Shell by Jess Pollard
and Wasted Talent by Angela Melick.

Original music by Sleuth.
Chip-tune adaptation by Beru.

Our next episode will be on the first volume of Princess Jellyfish by Akiko Higashimura

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Twitter, iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 57:56 — 53.0MB)

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And now, we continue our “Scott Pilgrimage” through volumes three and four of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Scott Pilgrim. In this episode we go even deeper into the themes, scenes, and subspace highway dreams of a twenty-something slacker who’s not very good at playing the bass. We talk about evil exes, what it’s really like to be inside Honest Ed’s, and we finally get to find out what Jess thinks of this series. CONTINUE?

Also mentioned in this episode:
New World edited by Spike Trotman
Bones of the Coast edited by Shannon Campbell et al
Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
Ranma 1/2 by Rumiko Takahashi
TCAF
Boise Library Comic Con
Yon and Mu by Junji Ito
Out of the Blue Period by Sleuth
and Yotsuba&! by Kiyohiko Azuma

And our own projects:
Phobos and Deimos by Jonathon Dalton
Crossroads by Jeff Ellis
Lemon Eating Boss by kgros
Liquid Shell by Jess Pollard
and Wasted Talent by Angela Melick.

Original music by Sleuth.
Chip-tune adaptation by Beru.

Our next episode will conclude the Pilgrimage with the fifth and sixth volumes of Scott Pilgrim by Bryan Lee O’Malley

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Twitter, iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 57:21 — 52.5MB)

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GET READY! Today we start our three episode “Scott Pilgrimage” as Jon, Jeff, kgros and Jam read the first two volumes of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Scott Pilgrim. These books changed comics, and they changed each of our panelists. Join us as we talk about video game literacy, female coming-of-age stories, breaking the fourth wall, Can-con, garbage twenty-somethings, and how one of us used to have Bryan Lee O’Malley’s blog as her homepage. Today, today we’re all Scottaholics.

BEGIN.

Also mentioned in this episode:
Seconds and Lost at Sea, also by Bryan Lee O’Malley
The Office
Blue Monday by Chynna Clugston Flores
Astroboy by Osamu Tezuka
Moonshot volumes 1 & 2, edited by Hope Nicholson
Stuck at 32 by Danielle Corsetto
Bride’s Story by Kaoru Mori
Life Is Strange
and a whole bunch of music.

And our own projects:
Phobos and Deimos by Jonathon Dalton
Crossroads by Jeff Ellis
Lunar Maladies by kgros
and Wasted Talent by Angela Melick.

Music by Sleuth.

Our next episode will continue the Pilgrimage with the third and fourth volumes of Scott Pilgrim by Bryan Lee O’Malley

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Twitter, iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:02:18 — 57.0MB)

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Today’s TradeWaiters covers Shadoweyes by Sophie Campbell. With Jess mysteriously absent (someone start putting up missing person posters!) it’s left to Jam, Jon, Jeff, and kgros to dive deep into this dense, indie graphic novel. We test the limits of what counts as a superhero comic, discuss the “slow burn friendship drama,” remember the nineties, and talk about the shady, short past of some defunct publishers.

Also mentioned in this episode:
Wet Moon, The Abandoned, Water Baby, and Mountain Girl, also by Sophie Campbell
Jem and the Holograms, Glory, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, all drawn by Sophie Campbell and written by Kelly Thompson, Joe Keating, and Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz respectively
Zombies Calling by Faith Erin Hicks
Excalibur by Chris Claremont and Alan Davis
Generation X by Scott Lobdell and Chris Bachalo
Sleepwalker by Bob Budiansky
Alice Grove by Jeph Jacques
Finder: Third World by Carla Speed McNeil
Templar, Arizona by Spike Trotman
and Invincible Iron Man by Brian Michael Bendis and Mike Deodato

And our own projects:
Phobos and Deimos by Jonathon Dalton
Crossroads by Jeff Ellis
Lunar Maladies by kgros
and Wasted Talent by Angela Melick.

Music by Sleuth.

Our next episode will be on volumes one and two of Scott Pilgrim by Bryan Lee O’Malley

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Twitter, iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 55:19 — 50.6MB)

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Join us once again as Jess, Jam, Jon, and Jeff finally decide who the Last Cartoonist will be while we read volumes three and four of Last Man by the French team Balak, Sanlaville, and Vivès. Gaze in amazement as we do the mental gymnastics necessary to sort out this weird, fun, genre-mashup (but not trope-destroying) comic about ultimate fighters from a fantasy world. Or don’t, because, it’s a podcast and there’s nothing to look at. Caution: this comic, and our discussion about it, spend a not-insignificant amount of time talking about sexual assault.

Also mentioned in this episode:
Mad Max: Fury Road directed by George Miller
The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney directed by Shu Takumi
Avatar: The Last Airbender by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko
and FLCL directed by Kazuya Tsurumaki

And our own projects:
Phobos and Deimos by Jonathon Dalton
Crossroads by Jeff Ellis
Wasted Talent by Angela Melick, and
Liquid Shell by Jess Pollard.

Music by Sleuth.

Our next episode will be on Shadoweyes by Sophie Campbell

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Twitter, iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 46:08 — 42.2MB)

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In today’s Tradewaiters episode Jess, Jam, Jon, and Jeff read the first two volumes of Last Man by the French team Balak, Sanlaville, and Vivès. Join us on a strange journey through a martial arts fighting championship on another world where nothing is quite what it seems. Caution: this comic, and our discussion about it, spend a not-insignificant amount of time talking about sexual assault.

Also mentioned in this episode:
Blacksad by Juan Díaz Canales and Juanjo Guarnido
Sky Doll by Alessandro Barbucci and Barbara Canepa
One Punch Man by One
Yuri on Ice directed by Sayo Yamamoto
Cowboy Bebop directed by Shinichiro Watanabe
Y the Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra
Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto
Dragon Ball by Akira Toriyama
Ranma 1/2 by Rumiko Takahashi
Monster by Naoki Urasawa
Hostage by Guy Delisle
Octopus Pie by Meredith Gran
and Sticks Angelica, Folk Hero by Michael DeForge

And our own projects:
Phobos and Deimos by Jonathon Dalton
Crossroads by Jeff Ellis
Wasted Talent by Angela Melick, and
Liquid Shell by Jess Pollard.

Music by Sleuth.

Our next episode will cover the third and fourth volumes of Last Man by Balak, Michael Sanlaville, and Bastien Vivès. Only one man must remain!

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Twitter, iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 53:25 — 48.9MB)

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Join Jess, Jam, Jon, Jeff, and kgros for another episode of the TradeWaiters. We read Wendy and Wendy’s Revenge by Walter Scott, a gritty tale of post- art school drama told in a super-indie style. Come for the insightful comics discussion, stay for the totally stealable gallery show concepts.

Also mentioned in this episode:
The Imposter with Aliya Pabani
Softr by Jasmine Schuett
Delilah Dirk and the King’s Shilling by Tony Cliff
Lucky’s Comics in Vancouver
and the Juicero

And our own projects:
Phobos and Deimos by Jonathon Dalton
Crossroads by Jeff Ellis
Lunar Maladies by kgros
Wasted Talent by Angela Melick, and
Liquid Shell by Jess Pollard.

Music by Sleuth.

Our next episode will cover the first two volumes of Last Man by Balak, Michael Sanlaville, and Bastien Vives.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Twitter, iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 48:32 — 44.4MB)

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Today on the TradeWaiters, we jumped head-first into some shoujo manga with the first two volumes of Your Lie in April by Naoshi Arakawa. Join us as we immerse ourselves in classical music, middle school romance, family drama, and the fine art of panel-to-panel transitions. We also officially welcome Jess Pollard as our fifth podcast panelist!

Also mentioned in this episode:
Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud
Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto
Questionable Content by Jeph Jacques
Smith Vs Smith by Matt Smith
Cynthia Lin on Youtube
the Process Party podcast by Mike Dawson and Zack Soto
My Love Story!! by Kazune Kawahara and Aruko
and this comic about flute choir by kgros.

And our own projects:
Phobos and Deimos by Jonathon Dalton
Crossroads by Jeff Ellis
Lunar Maladies by kgros
Wasted Talent by Angela Melick, and
Liquid Shell by Jess Pollard.

Music by Sleuth.

Our next episode will cover Wendy and Wendy’s Revenge by Walter Scott.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Twitter, iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 43:09 — 39.5MB)

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This week on The Tradewaiters, The Fifth TradeWaiter (a.k.a. Jess Pollard) joins us to talk about Vattu: The Name and the Mark by Evan Dahm. This is the first volume in print of Evan’s epic webcomic project. Listen to us chat about how much we love his work, but more importantly, the reasons why we love it and why you should too. We’ve got a lot to say about webcomics in general this episode.

Also mentioned in this episode:
Rice Boy and Order of Tales, also by Evan Dahm, as well as his illustrated editions of The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum and Moby Dick by Herman Melville.
Questionable Content by Jeph Jacques
Scary Go Round, Bobbins, and Bad Machinery by John Allison
XKCD by Randall Munroe
Dinosaur Comics by Ryan North
Neopets comics
Sluggy Freelance by Pete Abrams
Reinventing Comics by Scott McCloud
Mega Tokyo by Fred Gallagher and Rodney Caston
Shadoweyes by Sophie Campbell
Barbarous by Ananth Hirsch and Yuko Ota
Band Versus Band by Kathleen Jacques
Margaret by Matthew Seely
and The Dregs by Zac Thompson, Lonnie Nadler, and Eric Zawadzki

And our own projects:
Phobos and Deimos by Jonathon Dalton
Crossroads by Jeff Ellis
Lunar Maladies by kgros
Wasted Talent by Angela Melick, and
Liquid Shell by Jess Pollard.

Music by Sleuth.

Our next episode will cover volumes one and two of Your Lie in April by Naoshi Arakawa.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Twitter, iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 52:43 — 36.2MB)

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The Tradewaiters are back! Jess Pollard joins Jon, Jeff, Jam, and kgros for a discussion on Paper Girls volumes 1 & 2 by Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang. Join us as we talk about eighties nostalgia, book design, the pacing in floppies, “progressive edgy,” and Matt Wilson’s gorgeous colours.

EDIT: Jonathon would like to apologize for mixing up Warren Ellis and Frank Miller. Minus ten points from Hufflepuff for such a slanderous error.

Also mentioned in this episode:
Human Target, Beware the Creeper, Crisis Aftermath: The Spectre, and Green Arrow/Black Canary, all drawn by Cliff Chiang
Y: The Last Man, Saga, Ex Machina, Runaways, and Pride of Baghdad, all written by Brian K. Vaughan
Rat Queens by Kurtis J. Wiebe and Roc Upchurch
Iron Fist, Bullseye, and Old Man Logan, all written by Ed Brisson
Intervals by Kalen Knowles
Contact by Carl Sagan
Chained to the Rhythm by Katy Perry
and Fir Valley by Jason Turner and Feast of Fields by Sean Karemaker, both on Kickstarter right now.

And our own projects:
Phobos and Deimos by Jonathon Dalton
Crossroads by Jeff Ellis
Wasted Talent by Angela Melick
Lunar Maladies by kgros, and
Liquid Shell by Jess Pollard.

Music by Sleuth.

Our next episode will cover volume one of Vattu by Evan Dahm.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Twitter, iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 59:26 — 40.8MB)

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In this episode we read Today Is the Last Day of the Rest of Your Life by Austrian cartoonist Ulli Lust. This comic follows the artist’s real life journey from Austria to Sicily with no money, no passport, and no friends. It’s a heavy book in terms of both physical weight and emotional content. Join us, we’ve got lots to talk about!

Also mentioned in this episode:
This interview with Ulli Lust by Marc Sorbel on The Comics Journal
Bones of the Coast published by Cloudscape Comics
Please Like Me written by Josh Thomas
And a bunch of video games, I don’t know, that part went right over my head because I’m not a real gamer.

And our own projects:
Phobos and Deimos by Jonathon Dalton
Crossroads by Jeff Ellis
Wasted Talent by Angela Melick, and
Lunar Maladies by kgros

Music by Sleuth.

Our next episode will cover the first two volumes of Paper Girls by Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Twitter, iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 54:15 — 37.3MB)

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Today we read Bone: Out from Boneville and Bone: The Great Cow Race, the first two volumes of the acclaimed series by Jeff Smith. Join us and find out what we thought about these books that revolutionized graphic novels as we know them. Find out where Jeff Smith’s inspiration came from, how Bone has affected the classroom, and how it’s influenced cartoonists who grew up reading them (hint: it’s kgros). And join us for our exciting new TradeWaiters segments, “Um Actually” and “Devil’s Advocate.”

Also mentioned in this episode:
Rasl and Tuki: Save the Humans also by Jeff Smith
Spider-Man drawn by Mark Bagley
Scott Pilgrim by Bryan Lee O’Malley
Usagi Yojimbo by Stan Sakai
Asterix by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo
Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson
Pogo by Walt Kelly
Vattu by Evan Dahm
Johnny the Homicidal Maniac by Jhonen Vasquez
Promises, Promises: A History of Debt
Who Framed Roger Rabbit? directed by Robert Zemeckis
Wet Moon by Sophie Campbell
The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula LeGuin
Habitat by Simon Roy, and
Anatomy of Melancholy: Best of a Softer World by Joey Comeau and Emily Horne
And our own projects:
Phobos and Deimos by Jonathon Dalton
Crossroads by Jeff Ellis
Wasted Talent by Angela Melick, and
Lunar Maladies by kgros

Music by Sleuth.

Our next episode will cover Today Is the Last Day of the Rest of Your Life by Ulli Lust.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Twitter, iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 48:08 — 33.1MB)

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On today’s Tradewaiters we read Aya written by Marguerite Abouet and drawn by Clément Oubrerie. Special guest Jess Pollard joins us again while Angela is away. Our first formal foray into bande dessinée, Aya follows the chaotic love lives of three young women in 1970s Ivory Coast. This book was a lot of fun! Join us as we share our thoughts.

Also mentioned in this episode:
Akissi by Marguerite Abouet and Matthieu Sapin
Easy directed by Joe Swanburg
And our own projects:
Liquid Shell by Jess Pollard
Phobos and Deimos by Jonathon Dalton
Crossroads by Jeff Ellis, and
Lunar Maladies by kgros

Music by Sleuth.

Our next episode will cover volumes 1 & 2 of Bone by Jeff Smith.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Twitter, iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 40:40 — 27.9MB)

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Special guest Jess Pollard returns to the TradeWaiters studio for Americus by M.K. Reed and Jonathan Hill. She proceeds to get Socratic on the group as we discuss censorship, culture wars, and comics. Meanwhile, we confirm the existence of actual IRL TradeWaiters listeners, and everyone’s got an opinion on a certain ultra-popular young adult fantasy book series.

Also mentioned in this episode:
Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
Jack Chick tracts
Dykes to Watch Out For by Alison Bechdel
Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind by Hayao Miyazaki
No Exit by Annie Mok
A Wizard of Earthsea and Annals of the Western Shore both by Ursula K. LeGuin
Liquid Shell by Jess Pollard
And don’t forget to check out Angela’s Kickstarter for Wasted Talent.

Music by Sleuth.

Our next episode will cover Aya by Marguerite Abouet and Clemente Oubrerie.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Twitter, iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 55:45 — 38.3MB)

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Stuff is bad right now. Let’s read a book! In this episode Jon, Jeff, Angela, and kgros read Sacred Heart by Liz Suburbia, about a group of punk teens surviving in a town that seems to have no adults. Spoiler alert: something mysterious is going on. Also in this episode you’ll find out our panelists’ favourite conspiracy theories, and our thoughts on depicting atmospheric sound in comics.

Also mentioned in this episode:
Cyanide Milkshake and Egg Cream, also by Liz Suburbia
The Less Than Epic Adventures of TJ and Amal by E.K. Weaver
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
Sex Criminals by Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky
Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa
Moonshot volumes 1 & 2 edited by Hope Nicholson
Josie and the Pussycats by Marguerite Bennett, Cameron DeOrdio, & Audrey Mok
Band Vs Band by Kathleen Jacques
Brick directed by Rhian Johnson
Gingersnaps directed by John Fawcett
Night of the Living Dead directed by George Romero
Kill Bill directed by Quentin Tarantino
and this interview with Annie Mok.

Music by Sleuth.

Our next episode will cover Americus by MK Reed and Jonathan Hill.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Twitter, iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 53:44 — 36.9MB)

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In this episode Jon, Jeff, Angela, and kgros read Ghosts, the new graphic novel by Raina Telgemeier. Raina’s books have single-handedly dominated the New York Times Bestseller List for graphic novels for years. Join us as we look at why that might be. We’ll also talk about how great Montreal is, how boring Medicine Hat is, a bunch of Kickstarters you’ll want to back, and Jeff’s nephew, world’s youngest comics fan.

Also mentioned in this episode:
Smile, Drama, and Sisters, also by Raina Telgemeier
The Baby-Sitters Club graphic novels, by Ann M. Martin and Raina Telgemeier
Check, Please! by Ngozi
O Human Star by Blue Delliquanti
Unshelved by Gene Ambaum
The Adventures of Laser Moose and Rabbit Boy by Doug Savage
Family Man by Dylan Meconis
and The Decadent James Brandy by Jasmine Schuett

Music by Sleuth.

Our next episode will cover Sacred Heart by Liz Suburbia.

You can also follow the TradeWaiters on Tumblr, Soundcloud, Twitter, iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 48:21 — 33.2MB)

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