Comics Syllabus

Our Pluto reading project continues!!! We are reading 'Pluto' by Naoki Urasawa, from Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy story. (And if you haven't been following, get that amazing comic and listen along to the whole thing here: https://soundcloud.com/twoplai/sets/the-paul-list-reads-pluto-by ) Paul (sorta) discusses v4 and 5, touching on Artificial Intelligence and emotion, thoughts from listeners Seth, Johnny, and Frank, and these articles: "The Doomsday Invention" by Raffi Khatchadourian from the New Yorker: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/11/23/doomsday-invention-artificial-intelligence-nick-bostrom ''The Great AI Awakening' by Gideon Lewis-Krause from the New York Times Magazine: http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/12/14/magazine/the-great-ai-awakening.html?&_r=0&referer= Find the podcast at thepaullist.com

What were your favorites of the year? Paul goes through the best comics in 2016 (according to others!) that he DIDN'T read this year. Think of it as his pull list of comics that he's looking forward to digging deep into. And let him know (@twoplai on Twitter what your favorites were, ones on this list and ones that weren't!) Best Comics Paul Didn't Read 2016 Mooncop Arab of the Future Megg and Mogg Rolling Blackouts One Hundred Nights of Hero How to Survive in the North Nod Away Muhammad Ali Longest Day of the Future I Thought You Hated Me Irmina Panther Hilda and the Stone Forest World of Edena Corto Maltese Astro City Unfollow Deathstroke Nightwing Flintstones Legend of Wonder Woman Spiderwoman Moon Knight Moon Girl Star Wars and Darth Vader Mighty Thor Invisible Republic, No Mercy, Autumnlands Prophet: Earth War Jupiter's Legacy 2 Lake of Fire Drifter Black Monday Murders Giant Days The Spire Klaus Joyride Usagi Artist's II Mignolaverse Kirby Pencil and Ink Comics on Stela and Sequential Apps Yot

Visuals for this episode are at: http://thepaullist.com/post/154178811035/black-panther-by-coates-stelfreeze-sprouse Paul discusses 'Black Panther,' written by Ta-Nehisi Coates and drawn by Brian Stelfreeze, Chris Sprouse, and Karl Story, with colors by Laura Martin and letters by Joe Sabino, from Marvel Comics. Paul talks about the first seven issues or so of the recent series (2016), although with only minor spoils so the episode is friendly for readers and non-readers. Paul touches on conceptions of nationhood, Ta-Nehisi Coates writing comics, contrasts with Christopher Priest and Reginald Hudlin runs, the complexities of leadership, portrayals of peoples, and a little politics. And now, the links (support your LCS, but if you have to, here's Amazon Associates links for the podcast): Black Panther v1: http://amzn.to/2h7weKo Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates http://amzn.to/2gc0qEy Coates in the Atlantic: http://www.theatlantic.com/author/ta-nehisi-coates/ Christopher Priest's Black Panther:

'Pope Hats' by Ethan Rilly from Adhouse has four absorbing issues out-- and at last, you can get the second one! For a long time out of print, with the recent reprinting of issue 2, Paul finally gets to read the full story, and talks about what good comics it is, in the vein of Clowes, Seth, Huizenga, Ware, and Tomine. Find Pope Hats at http://www.adhousebooks.com/ Paul also mentions other comics he's reading and may discuss: When We Were Kids by Andy Warner (Irene) http://andywarnercomics.com/store/20090080 The Games We Played by Ryan King and Daryl Toh (Tiny Fugu) http://studygroupcomics.com/main/the-games-we-played-ryan-king-daryl-toh/ 557 by Fred Noland http://frednoland.com/store/store.htm Hilda and the Stone Forest by Luke Pearson http://amzn.to/2gC26pW The Owner's Guide to Terrible Parenting by Guy Delisle http://amzn.to/2fYU2eH Lake of Fire by Fairbairn and Smith, No Mercy by de Campi, McNeil, Lee, Kill or Be Killed by Brubaker and Phillips (Image), Ether by Kindt and Rubin (Dark Horse) http

Find the visuals with this episode at: http://thepaullist.com/post/153955333440/ep101-mighty-jack-by-ben-hatke-first-second 'Mighty Jack' by Ben Hatke (First Second) is the subject of today's Paul List-- at least one page of it, and at least for the first 25 minutes! Paul digs deep into a page of Hatke's art from the adventurous all-ages retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk, discussing the architecture of panels and angle of limbs, gardens of good and ill, and the wonderful work of Ben Hatke. Sorry for a long absence, Paul also delves in the last half hour into what he's been reading in comics (see the list below). Let's read widely and dig deep. Comics Mentioned on Paul's "Pull List": Marvel: Black Panther and World of Wakanda, Champions, Vision, Empress, Captain Marvel, Death of X, Dr. Strange: The Oath, and Ultimates. DC: All Star Batman, New Superman, Doom Patrol and Young Animal books, Supergirl, Super Powers, Trinity, Death: The High Cost of Living, Annotated Sandman, Gotham Central Image:

Our 100th ep features a conversation with artist Justin Greenwood and the 'All Time Pull Lists' of podcast friends Images & links http://thepaullist.com/post/153329174445/100thepjustingreenwoodfriends (12:47) Conversation w/Justin Greenwood (http://www.justingreenwoodart.com/ ) Justin Greenwood's art from The FUSE: http://www.justingreenwoodart.com/original-art-for-sale/89f4ab7qpt7xlz6wcs8g3zrsojxk93 Stumptown: http://www.justingreenwoodart.com/line-art/u3kgytdb79zo841bvr4iig8aukd8m8 Urasawa in Pluto: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_n5xC4ByBQAU/SuTv5PfDXmI/AAAAAAAAKtk/2GGx-IDcB80/s400/IMG_0009.jpg All Time Pull Lists (42:10) Johnny Hall: Transmetropolitan by Ellis & Robertson (Vertigo) http://amzn.to/2flYSmZ (49:15) Rachelle Cruz is at http://www.rachellecruz.com/ and Blood-Jet radio at https://thebloodjet.wordpress.com/ What It Is, Syllabus (Drawn + Quarterly) by Lynda Barry https://www.drawnandquarterly.com/what-it-is and https://www.drawnandquarterly.com/syllabus Zana (Emet Comics) by Jane Barker, Jo

The Paul List wakes up after the US election and rolls up sleeves to discuss 'Southern Bastards' volume 3: 'Homecoming' written by Jason Aaron (with one issue by Jason Latour) and drawn by Jason Latour (with one issue by Chris Brunner) from Image Comics. You can find the Paul List, images to go with this episode, and subscribe on your favorite podcatcher at http://thepaullist.com/post/153089726075/the-paul-list-wakes-up-after-the-us-election-and Jason Latour's "On the Rebel Flag" essay is at http://jasonlatour.tumblr.com/post/122732990328/on-the-rebel-flag-as-you-can-imagine-ive-heard 'Save the Cat' screenwriting book by Blake Snyder: http://amzn.to/2g0vh7q

Our late Saturday Smaller Press comic is Tillie Walden's 'End of Summer' from Avery Hill, available on the Sequential app and elsewhere. Images to go with this episode are at http://thepaullist.com/post/152892195505/theendofsummerwalden 'The End of Summer': http://tilliewalden.com/work/the-end-of-summer Tillie Walden's website and work (including her diary comic on Patreon): http://tilliewalden.com/category/comics Sequential App: http://www.sequential.cc/ Gene Luen Yang column mentioning story from Creative Confidence about finishing: http://bookriot.com/2016/10/31/creativity-progress-finishing/

Our Monday Marvel is ‘The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl’ by Erica Henderson and Ryan North, most recently the ‘Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Beats up the Marvel Universe’ OGN, but also the recent trade collections of this fine comic magazine which @TwoPlai has been enjoying with his cohost today. Let’s dig deep! Images for this episode are at http://thepaullist.com/post/152779833820/the-unbeatable-squirrel-girl-by-ryan-north-and Amazon associates link to Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: http://amzn.to/2fGB8hN Find the Paul List: Comics Analysis Podcast at http://thepaullist.com/

Thursday’s Throwback is the Doom Patrol Omnibus from DC Comics. @TwoPlai talks about ways to approach this significant, profound, and sometimes impenetrable run of Grant Morrison and Richard Case's Doom Patrol. Let’s dig deep. Images at http://thepaullist.com/post/152775259605/doom-patrol-omnibus-by-grant-morrison-and-richard Great (some spoilery) pieces on Doom Patrol or Morrison– The British Invasion by Greg Carpenter: http://sequart.org/books/26/the-british-invasion-alan-moore-neil-gaiman-grant-morrison-and-the-invention-of-the-modern-comic-book-writer/ RFT with Mike Phillips: http://robotsfromtomorrow.libsyn.com/episode-344-sequarts-mike-phillips Sequart pieces on Doom Patrol (unfin ished) by Desmond White: http://sequart.org/magazine/39773/grant-morrison%E2%80%99s-doom-patrol-a-companion-reader/ Noah Berlatsky in the Atlantic: http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/04/doom-patrol/360616/ Douglas Wolk in LA Times: http://www.latimes.com/books/jacketcopy/la-ca-jc-grant-morrison-201

Our Tuesday Trade Paperback is actually a Hardcover, a reprint by Image Comics of Ron Wimberly’s ‘Prince of Cats,’ his B-side remix of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet story but centered on the character Tybalt. Iambic pentameter, samurai swords, and hip hop culture in 1980′s Brooklyn. Wimberly interweaves cultural resources that give pulsating life to the Tybalt character in a new context. Let’s dig deep. Images to go with this episode at http://thepaullist.com/post/152618053595/prince-of-cats-by-ron-wimberly-image-comics-on Mentioned in this episode: Amazon Associates link to Prince of Cats: http://amzn.to/2ela6K7 Ron Wimberly’s piece ‘Lighten Up’ on the Nib: https://thenib.com/lighten-up-4f7f96ca8a7e Seth Hahne’s description of his process for Monkess the Homunculus: http://imgur.com/a/kUbyj and the book itself: http://sethhahne.com/monkess/ The Paul List is always at http://thepaullist.com/

Wonder Woman 75th Anniversary Special 1 by Various (DC Comics) art by Jim Lee (cover), Rafael Albuquerque and written by R. Scavone and colored by Dave McCaig (2nd image); written and penciled by Renae De Liz and inked and colored by Ray Dillon (3rd image) Sunday’s Superfriend is Wonder Woman 75th Anniversary Special from DC Comics, a collection of stories and pinups from a great range of incredible talents, dedicated to the different dimensions of the strength and integrity of Wonder Woman. Paul thinks about the various art styles represented in the book and how they reflect the various aspects of the character’s heroism, iconography, and artifice. Let’s dig deep. Visuals at http://thepaullist.com/post/152499517540/wonderwoman75thspecial Amazon Associates link to the issue: http://amzn.to/2fj2XMT The Paul List is always at http://thepaullist.com/

'Dear Creature' by Jonathan Case, originally published in 2011 but re-published in 2016 by Dark Horse, is Saturday's Smaller Press book (ok ok, Dark Horse is not small, but for more small press picks, see yesterday's episode!) Paul talks about Case's craft in pulling together a strange and beautiful story about a sea monster and his Shakespeare-fueled love. After meeting Jonathan Case at a signing, Paul is inspired to offer a rare Halloween recommendation, and finds the book lovely and alarmingly weird. Let's dig deep. Find the visuals at http://thepaullist.com/post/152499074025/dearcreature Amazon Associates link to Dear Creature: http://amzn.to/2eVQsWn and Jonathan Case's other books: http://amzn.to/2f1H4hr The Escapist Comics Bookstore in Berkeley: http://www.escapistcomics.com/ (and find their podcast there!)

On today's Paul List, Paul tries an experiment (a failed one? Let me know @twoplai): talking about multiple books and issues in one long episode. First, introductory words about the podcast itself (1:05), followed by a discussion of Marvel's 'Mockingbird' and Chelsea Cain (18:12), then part 3 of our 'Pluto' by Urasawa reading project (43:01), and then discussion of three titles Paul recommends: 'Monkess the Homunculus' by Seth Hahne (1:02:30), 'The Battles of Bridget Lee: Invasion of Farfall' by Ethan Young from Dark Horse (1:15:30), and the forthcoming 'Untitled Ape's Epic Adventures' by Steven Tillotson from Avery Hill (1:27:00). Let's try to dig deep, though we'll probably run out of shovel before we finish marking the territory…. The Paul List is at http://thepaullist.com twitter link: https://twitter.com/TwoPlai Chelsea Cain's Blog: https://chelseacain.com/blog/140-characters-plus-few-thousand-more-twitter-hubbub Alice Castle's Multiversity piece about Cain and comics: http://www.multiversitycomics.c

On Saturday's (?) Smaller Press Comics, Paul talks about Zack Soto's 'Secret Voice,' touching on the three issues that have been published by Study Group Comics. While he's at it, Paul gets into Bakhtin and intertextuality, David Harper's interview with Tom King, and all the voices in his head (and YOURS TOO!) Let's dig deep. The Secret Voice: http://theesecretvoice.tumblr.com/ Process Party: the new podcast from Study Group by Soto and Mike Dawson: http://studygroupcomics.com/main/pod/ That David Harper interview with Tom King: http://sktchd.com/podcast/off-panel-67-the-best-intentions-with-tom-king/ That Comics Journal piece about Soto: http://www.tcj.com/study-group-comics/ and the Paul List is always find-able at http://thepaullist.com

Our Monday Marvel is A-Force vol 2 (1-10) written by Kelly Thompson (w/ G. Willow Wilson at the beginning), drawn by Jorge Molina, Ben Caldwell, and Paulo Siqueira, colored and lettered by various. A-Force has been cancelled for now after issue 10. Paul talks about the emotional labor women characters in the Marvel U do, trying to draw together sociologist Arlie Hochschild with She-Hulk and Carol Danvers. Let's dig deep! Amazon Associates link for A-Force: http://amzn.to/2dXdsAz Amazon Associates link for Arlie Hochschild: http://amzn.to/2dxcHNG Newsarama piece mentioned: http://www.newsarama.com/31604-marvel-s-a-force-axed.html

Thursday's Throwback continues the 'Pluto' reading project on the Paul List, where we are reading a volume of Pluto each week. Urasawa's masterpiece extension of Tezuka's Astro Boy story reaches a bigger set of questions in this volume, but Paul focuses it all on a close reading of one of the opening scenes, one packed with meaningful silences and profound questions. Let's dig deep! Find the Paul List at http://thepaullist.com Amazon Associates link for Pluto: http://amzn.to/2eNBjYh

The Tuesday Trade is 'Tokyo Ghost' (v1 & 2) by Rick Remender, Sean Murphy, Matt Hollingsworth, and Rus Wooton (Image Comics), and Paul discusses a pre-spoilers and spoiler-y set of thoughts about the dystopic sci-fi adventure's themes of our hyper-distracted technology-mediated lives. You can always find the Paul List at http://thepaullist.com/ Amazon Associates link to Tokyo Ghost: http://amzn.to/2eun0nF Amazon Associates link to Daniel Dinello's 2005 'Technophobia': http://amzn.to/2eGm2Zc

Sunday's DC/Vertigo book is The Sheriff of Babylon by Tom King and Mitch Gerads, v1 (issues 1-6) with mention of the whole 12-issue story, concluding next month. (No spoilers past v1). After a lengthy set up, Paul delves into Media and Morality by Roger Silverstone as a lens to consider the important and impact of King and Gerad's story set in the Iraq War. And in a rare experiment, Paul made a video of this episode. Find the video of the episode at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMbGcoi3iR-T4VQcIP52oLA FInd the Paul List at http://thepaullist.com/ Sheriff of Babylon amazon link: http://amzn.to/2eusKBJ Media and Morality by Silverstone amazon link: http://amzn.to/2ee5Ej2 Nerdwriter video about Saving Private Ryan and Spielberg staging battle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFpki7v4xiI

The Friday Family Comic is Mini Marvels: The Complete Collection (Marvel) by Chris Giarrusso. TwoPlai is joined FOR THE FIRST TIME on the Paul List by AN AWESOME GUEST HOST who gives her opinions of this hilarious adaptation of Marvel's superheroes for kids. Amazon link to Mini Marvels: http://amzn.to/2edFjgF The Paul List can be found at thepaullist.com