Jess Pollard


The TradeWaiters 61: TCAF/VanCAF 2019

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 CollectiveGiant’s Well by Scott A. FordWhen I Arrived at the Castle by Emily CarrollConseal Don’t Feel by CiilCounting Sheep […]


The TradeWaiters 60: “Laid Waste” by Julia Gfrorer

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 […]


The TradeWaiters 59: “Come Prima” by Alfred

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 […]


The TradeWaiters 56: “A Bintel Brief” by Liana Finck

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 […]


The TradeWaiters 55: “Archie” Vol. 1&2 by Waid, Staples, Wu, & Fish

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 […]


The TradeWaiters 54: “Why Art?” by Eleanor Davis

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 […]


The TradeWaiters 53: “The Complete Persepolis” by Marjane Satrapi

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 […]


The TradeWaiters 52: “I Kill Giants” by Joe Kelly and JM Ken Niimura

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. […]


The TradeWaiters 51: “Fante Bukowski” by Noah Van Sciver

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 […]